United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, August 10, 2006, that Scott C. Fulmer, Jr. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of wire fraud.
The four-count indictment named Fulmer, age 20, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, between August of 2005 and March of 2006, Fulmer was employed as a customer service representative for EchoStar, which is located in McKeesport. The indictment further alleges that Fulmer, without the knowledge or consent of EchoStar, sold satellite television components from EchoStar's inventory and then kept the money for himself. In particular, the indictment alleges that Fulmer, through interstate computer communications, fraudulently represented to EchoStar's warehouse in Colorado that EchoStar was supposed to send components to various individuals who had purchased the components from Fulmer. Finally, the indictment charges that Fulmer's scheme resulted in a loss to EchoStar of approximately $87,000.
Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 80 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
