Former U.S. Army Reserve Employee Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Theft

A former U.S. Army Reserve employee pleaded guilty today to charges of wire fraud and theft of government money as part of a scheme to steal more than $400,000 from the 63^rd Regional Support Command at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Ramon Torry, 54, of Irvine, California, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government money before U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman in the Northern District of California, San Jose Division.  Sentencing has been scheduled for July 30, 2019.

According to the plea documents, Torry devised a scheme to steal money from the 63^rd Regional Support Command related to a contract for the creation of a Public Service Announcement (PSA) touting the Command’s accomplishments.  In February 2016, Torry began creating fake invoices for work allegedly performed by the Calfornia production company for the production of the PSA as well as for training and other services that were never performed.  Torry then directed others in the Command to make payments to the company contracted to produce the PSA by both government purchase card and wire payments.  Between December 2015 and October 2017, Torry directed payments from the 63^rd to the production company totaling more than $414,000.  He then directed Person A at the company to kick back more than $300,000 of those funds to Torry, which he converted to his own use and that of others. 

The General Services Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command investigated the case.  Trial Attorney Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section is prosecuting the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Harris from the Northern District of California has provided assistance with the case.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice press release.