La Porte brothers sentenced to prison for fraud scheme
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Two brothers from La Porte have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of conducting an elaborate scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tina Nommay’s office says Raymond Calvin Smith and Bruce Milik Smith used mobile sports wagering apps to funnel money from the victims to themselves.
Court documents show that from January to December 2021, the brothers used personal information belonging to about 60 victims such as bank account numbers and passwords, to set up dozens of accounts in the victims’ names on at least eight different sports betting apps.
Using that information, the Smith brothers stole more than $723,000. They also unsuccessfully attempted to steal an additional $930,000, Nommay’s office said.
The brothers pled guilty to felony charges for the mail fraud scheme. Raymond Smith also pled guilty to evading taxes on the proceeds he received in 2021.
United States District Court Judge Cristal Brisco in South Bend sentenced Raymond Smith to 70 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Bruce Smith was sentenced to 39 months in prison and two years of supervised release.
The brothers were also ordered to pay $723,832.64 in restitution to the victims. Raymond Smith was ordered to pay an additional $162,928.52 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Indiana Gaming Commission.