NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

BETH PHILLIPS

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov../index.html

MARCH 2, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPRINGFIELD HUSBAND, WIFE INDICTED FOR

$1 MILLION INVESTMENT FRAUD

            SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., husband and wife were indicted by a federal grand jury today for their roles in a $1 million real estate investment scheme.

            John Michael Sheehan, 50, and Alesia Claremae Sheehan, 49, both of Springfield, were charged in a 22-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield.

            Today’s indictment alleges that, from June 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, the Sheehans participated in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. The Sheehans allegedly used their businesses, Jmichael Investment, LLC, (JMI) and 3MOM, Inc., to defraud 21 investors who paid $1,023,670 to purchase and rehabilitate 33 separate properties.

            According to the indictment, the Sheehans used a Web site to solicit investments to purchase and rehabilitate single family residential homes, which would then be sold and the proceeds split between the investors and the Sheehans. The Web site promoted John Sheehan as “the King of Bling” and promised investors a 10 to 18 percent return within a year on a minimum investment of $15,000. Investors also attended investment seminars hosted by the Sheehans.

            Although investors were told that they would be the sole investor on each property, the indictment says, the Sheehans collected investments from multiple investors for the same property. The Sheehans did not use all of these investments to purchase or rehabilitate the properties.

            For example, the indictment alleges that eight investors provided a total of $120,000 for the purchase and rehabilitation of a property at 2054 N. Park in Springfield. The Sheehans did not purchase the property, the indictment says, and later returned $18,500 to one of the investors; the Sheehans did not return the $15,000 to seven of the investors. The indictment also alleges that five investors provided a total of $83,375 for the purchase and rehabilitation of a property at 2006 N. Travis in Springfield. The Sheehans purchased the property for $19,900 and it was later sold $69,900, the indictment says, but did not return any money to the five investors.

            In addition to the wire and mail fraud conspiracy, today’s indictment charges the Sheehans with two counts of mail fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering relating to engaging in monetary transactions in criminally-derived property and eight counts of money laundering.

            Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Missouri Secretary of State.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov../index.html