Defendant Stole $1.6 Million in Funds That Were Used for a Failed Restaurant Venture, His Wedding Expenses, and International Travel
Tony Ream, also known as “Tony Ream-Hendley” and “Tony Moul Ream,” a former credit supervisor of a health care products and services company in Melville, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sanket J. Bulsara to 30 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud. Over the course of four years, Ream sent wire transfers totaling approximately $1.6 million from the company’s bank account to a bank account that he controlled, and used those funds for his own personal gain. In addition to the prison term, Judge Bulsara ordered Ream to pay restitution in the amount of $1.6 million to the company, and a $1,000 fine. Ream had previously pleaded guilty to this crime in September.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.
“The defendant profited by abusing the trust placed in him by his employer, but his lies and crimes caught up with him,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “This prison sentence gives the defendant ample time to reflect on his bad choices and how he will pay back the money he stole.”
“Tony Ream’s theft betrayed the trust of his employer and their customers out of selfish greed. The FBI continues to hold accountable fraudsters who utilize the wallets of unsuspecting clients to finance their personal purchases,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As set forth in court filings and statements made in court during plea and sentencing proceedings, Ream was employed by a company headquartered in Melville (the Company) that is a distributor of health care products and services, and serves as the world’s largest provider of health care solutions to office-based dental and medical practitioners worldwide. Ream was hired by the Company in 2019 to work in its credit department and became a credit supervisor. From approximately October 2020 through November 2024, Ream siphoned corporate funds from customer refund accounts, some of which were inactive, and diverted the funds to his own personal accounts, masking the fraud by recording each transaction as a refund that was issued to a customer. Ream also deceived his subordinates into unwittingly taking steps that facilitated his embezzlement scheme. In total, Ream embezzled approximately $1.6 million from the Company, which he spent on his wedding, luxury international vacations, and a failed restaurant venture in South Carolina.
No comments:
Post a Comment