BIRMINGHAM – A federal jury today indicted an Odenville man for fraud in connection with a business he established in order to seek payments he was not owed, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley.

The indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges STEPHEN WARREN MILLER, 48, with 17 counts of mail fraud.

MILLER set up a business named G&M Mechanical Services, which he used to invoice his employer, Reliance Electric, for payments he was not due, the indictment charges. As a result of MILLER’s invoices, Reliance Electric mailed 17 checks, totaling $163,563, to G&M Mechanical Services at a Post Office Box in Moody, the indictment charges. It states the money was used for  the benefit of MILLER and others.

“Theft from one’s employer cannot be tolerated,” Vance said. “Where such crimes are facilitated through the United States mail, my office will aggressively prosecute those offenders.”
 
Upon conviction, MILLER faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of mail fraud.
                       
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa K. Atwood is prosecuting this case.

This prosecution is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency task force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

 

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