Illinois men charged in UPS fraud case

   Two  Illinois men have allegedly defrauded UPS of more than $1.2 million in the past two years.
   According to the U.S. Justice Department, Mark Gleason, a UPS employee, and Dayton Sloan of D&S Construction have been charged with wire fraud and money laundering.
   The Justice Department said Gleason allegedly signed a general maintenance contract with D&S in April 2011 on behalf of UPS. D&S was to work on UPS’ three dozen locations in Illinois and Indiana. Over the next two years, Sloan sent Gleason fake invoices, some of which covered the purchase of flat screen televisions and work not within the contract limits.
   When the money from these invoices had been deposited in a corporate D&S account, Sloan purchased Visa gift cards in denominations as low as $100 and then distributed them to Gleason and members of both of their families. These gift cards were used for purchases including $7,000 in jewelry and $40,000 spent on cars.
   Both men face up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud charges and 10 years in jail for money laundering. If found guilty, the two may also face fines and could have to pay UPS restitution.
   “This type of criminal activity weakens our economy and robs us all of our sense of community,” Joseph H. Hogsett, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in a statement. “That is why the U.S. Attorney’s Office has in the last year redoubled efforts to hold accountable all those who put greed and selfishness ahead of the interests of their employers and our state.” – Jon Ross