United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, August 9, 2006, that Shawn Poellnitz, formerly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on charges of mail fraud.
The five-count indictment named Poellnitz, age 35, as the sole defendant. Poellnitz is currently incarcerated in Devens, Massachusetts pursuant to a previous federal conviction on an unrelated charge.
According to the indictment presented to the court, Poellnitz ordered merchandise from the victim company by representing that he would pay for the merchandise by transferring money from a bank account. The account, however, was closed and had insufficient funds to cover the purchase.
According to the indictment presented to the court, Poellnitz ordered merchandise from the victim company by representing that he would pay for the merchandise by transferring money from a bank account. The account, however, was closed and had insufficient funds to cover the purchase.
The Financial Crimes Task Force of Southwestern Pennsylvania conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. The Financial Crimes Task Force of Southwestern Pennsylvania is comprised of United States Postal Inspectors, Special Agents of the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Investigators from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, and Detectives from the Allegheny County Police.
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.
