Two Defendants Plead Guilty in Conspiracy to Defraud Xerox

Rochester, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Anthony Fretto and Daniel Streff, both of Webster, NY, who are named defendants in the federal indictment charging Clarkson Auto Electric, Inc. and nine individuals in a scheme to defraud the Xerox Corporation, pleaded guilty before U.S District Judge Frank p. Geraci to mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

           Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley E. Tyler and Marisa J. Miller, who are handling the case, stated that Fretto is a principal owner of Clarkson Auto Electric, Inc. and Streff is a former Xerox forklift mechanic. The defendants conspired with others to submit false invoices to the Xerox Corporation requesting payment for new forklift parts that had not been delivered to Xerox, and for forklift part repairs that had not been done. Fretto then conspired with others to launder the illegally obtained proceeds received from Xerox.

            Four of the nine defendant charged in the case have been convicted. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.                

The pleas are the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Shantelle P. Kitchen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, and the  U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Shelly Binkowski.