Albany Man Pleads Guilty to $119,950 Fraud Scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Albany, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to defrauding an elderly Maryville, Mo., couple.

David J. McConkey, 42, of Albany, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs on Thursday, April 4, 2013, to a federal information that charges him with wire fraud.

By pleading guilty today, McConkey admitted that he defrauded a Maryville husband and wife in a scheme that lasted from April 2011 to April 2012. McConkey told the couple that he was aware of an incident involving their adult daughter that allegedly occurred approximately 28 years ago in the state of Iowa. McConkey told them that if they would pay him $119,950 he would keep their daughter from going to prison. This representation was false, and known by McConkey to be false. The Maryville couple gave McConkey a $119,950 cashier’s check, which he used for his own personal benefit.

Under federal statutes, McConkey is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark. It was investigated by the FBI.