Port Huron Resident Pleads Guilty to Stealing $900,000 From His Employer

DETROIT – Peter Paulus, 51, of Port Huron, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon.

Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to court documents, between November 2020 and August 2023, Paulus worked as a sales manager at Countertops Direct in Harrison Township, Michigan. During this time, Paulus devised a scheme to divert customer credit card payments from Countertops Direct to bank accounts that he controlled. To cover up the scheme, he falsified transaction display information and receipts, making it appear that the money that he appropriated was in fact remitted to Countertops Direct. Paulus embezzled approximately $900,000 from his employer.

"Peter Paulus’s guilty plea reaffirms that financial crimes carried out through deception come with consequences,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Our team from the FBI Macomb County Resident Agency continues to do outstanding work, alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with the goal of protecting public trust and ensuring financial crimes are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.”

Sentencing is scheduled for May 19, 2026. A conviction for wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alyse Wu and Philip A. Ross.