Controller Of Minnesota Metal Stamping Company Pleads Guilty To Million Dollar Embezzlement Scheme

Acting United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker today announced the guilty plea of JOHN BURWOOD ROBINSON, 50, for stealing more than $1.1 million from his employer. ROBINSON was charged by felony information July 26, 2017, with one count of mail fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. He pleaded guilty yesterday before Judge Paul A. Magnuson in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minn. A sentencing date has not yet been determined.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea, from 1991 through 2016, ROBINSON was employed by North Central Stamping & Manufacturing, Inc. (“NCSM”), and in 2003, he became NCSM’s controller. As the controller, ROBINSON managed NCSM’s bank accounts, bookkeeping records, and financial reports.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea, ROBINSON devised a fraud scheme to steal money that was paid to NCSM by its clients. ROBINSON opened a bank account in the name of NCSM without the company’s knowledge or authorization. ROBINSON then deposited payments made by NCSM’s customers into the fraudulent bank account he had set up. ROBINSON used the money to pay for his own personal expenses, to fund his hobby of buying and restoring automobiles and automobile parts, and to pay for a storage facility to store the automobiles and parts. In total, ROBINSON stole approximately $1,163,366.97 from NCSM.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea, in addition to his theft, ROBINSON admitted to filing false tax returns by understating his total income for the calendar years 2009 through 2015, in order to lower his tax liability and to avoid detection of his fraud scheme. In total, ROBINSON caused a total tax loss of $291,757.31.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS, the Minnesota Department of Commerce Fraud Bureau, and the Blaine Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Surya Saxena.

Defendant Information:

JOHN BURWOOD ROBINSON, 50

Crystal, Minn.

Convicted:

• Mail fraud, 1 count
• Filing a false tax return, 1 count

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600