ADAMS COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MONEY STRUCTURING CHARGES

Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that an Adams County man has pleaded guilty to charges that he engaged in unlawful money structuring activities.

Joshua Fulco, age 29, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to a one count Information before U.S. District Court Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie in Harrisburg on Friday. The Information alleges that between March of 2006 and August of 2008, Fulco purchased 353 money orders from the U.S. Postal Service at the Hanover, PA and McSherrystown, PA Post Offices in denominations between $900 and $1,000. During the guilty plea proceeding Fulco admitted he deliberately purchased the money orders in those denominations in order to avoid the $3,000 or more purchaser identification and transaction account reporting requirements under Title 31, United States Code, Section 5325.

As part of a plea agreement reached with the government, Fulco has also agreed to forfeit his interest in approximately $175,000 in collector’s coins to the government. The coins were purchased by Fulco with the money orders he obtained from the Postal Service.

Upon accepting Fulco’s guilty plea, Judge Vanaskie directed a presentence report be prepared and tentatively scheduled the case for sentencing in January of 2010.

The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel.

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An Indictment or Information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Grand Jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pled guilty to the charges.