Connecticut man pleads guilty in fraud scheme

A Connecticut man pleaded guilty March 26 to bank fraud charges stemming from a scheme to defraud businesses in multiple states, the U.S. Attorney”™s Office for the Southern District of New York announced this month.

Shane Fusco was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud. The U.S. attorney’s office alleged Fusco fraudulently created bank and personal checks in a scheme to obtain vehicles parts, jewelry and other items worth nearly $1 million from 34 businesses and one individual. Fusco was also caught using a fake check in an attempt to buy tires while driving a stolen truck, according to the announcement.

“Shane Fusco brazenly defrauded dozens of small businesses up and down the Eastern Seaboard of hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods using fraudulent bank checks and fraudulent personal checks,” Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the district, said in a statement.

The case was investigated by the Connecticut U.S. attorney’s office, the FBI, the Secret Service Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Connecticut state police.

The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York”™s White Plains division. Fusco faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on each count and will be sentenced July 8.