Contact: Richard W. Murphy
Assistant U.S. Attorney
(207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Matthew J.
LaForge, age 38, of Brunswick, Maine pled guilty today in United States District Court in Portland before
United States District Judge Nancy Torresen to mail fraud and income tax evasion charges.

Court records reveal that while employed by Wright Express from 2006 to 2008, LaForge
fraudulently billed Wright Express, and was paid, about $231,000 for marketing services supposedly
rendered by a fictitious company. LaForge had the payments sent to a mailbox he opened in New
Hampshire. After leaving employment with Wright Express, LaForge went to work as a financial analyst
for L.L. Bean. From 2009-2011, he fraudulently billed L.L.Bean, and was paid, about $220,000 for
marketing services supposedly rendered by the same fictitious company. LaForge had the payments
sent to the same New Hampshire mailbox. LaForge also failed to report any of the illicit income on his
federal income tax returns for the years 2006-2010, resulting in over $89,000 in unpaid income taxes.

LaForge faces imprisonment of up to 20 years on the two mail fraud charges, up to five years on
the tax evasion charge, and fines of up to $250,000 on each charge. LaForge has agreed to pay full
restitution to the victim companies and their insurers and to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). He
will be sentenced after completion of a pre-sentence report by the United States Probation Office. He
was released by the court on personal recognizance pending his sentencing.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the IRS – Criminal Investigation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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