Johnstown Man Sentenced for Role in Series of International Fraud Scams

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to a total of 15 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to commit money laundering, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on John M. Trabert, 55.

According to information presented to the Court, from in and around January 2020 through March 2022 in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Trabert conspired with others to commit money laundering by acting as a “money mule”—a person who, at someone else’s direction, receives and moves money obtained from victims of fraud—in a variety of romance, real estate, and gold scams. The scheme consisted of a co-conspirator outside of the United States directing victims, who believed they were investing in real estate, gold, or financial support for a fictional love interest, to send funds to one of Trabert’s bank accounts. At the direction of and in concert with his co-conspirator, Trabert then conducted financial transactions using proceeds of the fraud scams, with Trabert retaining a portion of each transaction as personal profit. Trabert laundered more than $700,000 from victims through his role in the conspiracy.

Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the United States Secret Service for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Trabert.