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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - August 13, 2014- Ricky Lee Coleman, Jr., 41, of Antioch, Tennessee was sentenced on August 11, 2014, to 92 months in prison in connection with a scheme that defrauded more than 2,500 individuals, announced David Rivera, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Coleman’s sentence also includes 3 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and he was ordered to pay more than $900,000 in restitution to his victims.
On May 7, 2014, Coleman pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, and credit card fraud in connection with his ownership and operation of International Executive Services LLC, Advancement Solutions LLC, and RLC Enterprises, companies based in Hermitage and Antioch, Tennessee, that defrauded thousands of military veterans and others seeking job training and job placement services.
Coleman previously admitted directing his employees to make false representations to customers and potential customers, including that they would be placed into a training class, that they would be paid during training, and that they would be guaranteed employment after training. Coleman also admitted instructing his employees to make misrepresentations to customers who had paid for training in order to delay their attempts to seek refunds and to postpone their complaints, including by sending letters falsely informing customers that they were enrolled in certain training academies. Coleman spent the majority of funds paid by customers on personal expenses or on efforts to recruit new customers.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Metro Nashville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely.