Texas Man Charged in Fraud Scheme

Michael Glenn Barnes, 36 years old, of Gun Barrel City, Texas, was charged by an indictment unsealed today with aggravated identity theft, wire fraud and mail fraud charges, announced United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.  The indictment alleges that, from May 2015 through September 2017, Barnes sought to defraud manufacturers of commercial goods by falsely representing that he was various prominent musicians and professional athletes, and requesting free merchandise, which he claimed would provide promotion and publicity for the manufacturers.  The indictment further alleges that, as part of this scheme, Barnes targeted at least 36 companies, in 11 states, including Pennsylvania, and four foreign countries. 

If convicted of the charges, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 800 years imprisonment, including a mandatory sentence of two years imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, a $10,250 fine, and a $4,100 special assessment. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Allentown Resident Agency, Philadelphia Division, and the Gun Barrel City Police Department (Texas), and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Gallagher.   

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed

innocent unless and until proven guilty.