Press Release
Summerville Man Sentenced to Over 5 Years for Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr. announced today that Todd Van Natta, 43, of Summerville, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding dozens of victims of over a million dollars via a business fraud scheme from 2016 through 2018.
Evidence presented to the court showed Van Natta sought out individuals to invest in various businesses that he controlled. The businesses were generally represented by Van Natta to purchase shipments of goods that he then would break down for resale at a profit. Through these investments, Van Natta deprived approximately 28 investors of a total of over one million dollars, with none of the investors receiving any return on their investment. The victims lived both in and outside of South Carolina, with several victims living in Ohio.
At the time of the offense, Van Natta was on federal supervised release for a similar conviction out of the District of Indiana. Information at sentencing established that Van Natta began his most recent criminal activity soon after his release from federal prison.
United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Van Natta to 51 months on his fraud conviction, and ten months consecutive for violating his supervised release, all to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. The court also ordered Van Natta to pay over one million dollars in restitution to his victims. There is no parole in the federal system.
The sentencing hearing was conducted virtually, under the federal CARES Act, so that the parties did not appear in the courtroom.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ohio Department of Commerce. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathan Williams and Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
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Contact
Derek A. Shoemake (843) 813-0982
Updated May 19, 2020
Topic
Financial Fraud
Component