Wilmington, Delaware Man Charged With Attempting To Defraud Cisco And Microsoft out of Over $4.5 Million Worth Of Computer Hardware

            An Indictment[1]  was returned today charging Justin David May, 28, of Wilmington, Delaware, with 24 counts of mail fraud, 16 counts of money laundering, 3 counts of interstate transportation of goods obtained by fraud, and 2 counts of tax evasion, announced Interim United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.

            The Indictment alleges that May perpetrated two separate schemes to defraud Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft. The Indictment alleges that in each scheme, May obtained serial numbers to valuable computer hardware, registered false domain names, obtained false email addresses, and submitted false warranty claims, pretending to own computer hardware that he did not to own and claiming that it was not working. The Indictment alleges that May provided the customer service representatives with descriptions of the non-existent defects that he knew they could not solve by troubleshooting and would require have to be replaced with new computer hardware. The Indictment alleges that May travelled from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, the FedEx stores in the Philadelphia area, as well as out of state in places such as Reno, Nevada, to pick up the fraudulently-obtained computer hardware, then travelled with it across state lines and sold it. The Indictment alleges that May laundered the fraud proceeds by cashing the checks at a check cashing business rather than depositing them in his bank account. The Indictment alleges that May attempted to obtain over $4,000,000 worth of Cisco products and successfully obtained well over $2,000,000 worth of Cisco products as a result of the scheme. The Indictment also alleges that May attempted to obtain over $600,000 worth of Microsoft hardware and successfully obtained over $300,000 of Microsoft hardware as a result of the scheme.

            May faces a maximum sentence of 1,029 years’ incarceration, a five-year period of supervised release, a fine of $7,153,400, and restitution of at least $2,506,196. He also faces a likely advisory sentencing guideline range of somewhere between 135 and 168 months’ imprisonment. 

            The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael S. Lowe.