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Press Release

Rockford Man Sentenced To 12 Months In Federal Prison For Fraud Involving More Than $500,000 In Fictitious Money Orders

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois

ROCKFORD — A Rockford, Ill. man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard for producing a fictitious financial instrument that appeared to be issued under the authority of the U.S. Treasury.  BRADLEY SHERMAN HAMPTON, 55, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $76,500. 

Hampton, who pled guilty on Feb. 5, 2015, admitted that on Aug. 31, 2009, he created a fictitious $48,780 money order in an attempt to defraud Regions Bank and the U.S. Treasury.  According to the written plea agreement, Hampton also admitted that in 2009 he produced eight other fictitious money orders in an attempt to defraud.  The nine fictitious money orders totaled $547,578.47 and purported to be issued under the authority of a Federal Reserve Bank, the Department of the Treasury, or the United States Treasury.  The fictitious money orders were made payable to Chase Home Finance, Chase National Payment Service, Holcomb State Bank, Regency Worldwide Development, Inc., Harley Davidson Credit, and the Faith Center in Rockford, Ill.  The $76,500 restitution is owed to the sole money order recipient that accepted a money order and disbursed money.

The sentencing was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Frank Benedetto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Secret Service’s Chicago Field Office.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Love.

Updated July 23, 2015