EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)- A Horizon City man was sentenced to 60 months in prison and ordered to pay $9.8 million in restitution for wire fraud Thursday, June 1.
Ricardo Robles, 41, was employed in a position in which he was responsible for purchasing goods from suppliers. His employer would then resell the goods for profit, according to court documents.
Robles created numerous sham companies beginning in 2010 and used those companies to purchase goods and inflate the prices along with his co-conspirators.
On his employer’s behalf, Robles would then purchase from said companies and divert portions of those payments to his personal bank accounts.
“This case demonstrates the commitment of our prosecutors and our partners at the FBI to deliver justice to those who rob and defraud their own communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “These schemes have a devastating impact on businesses, as well as the employees and others who depend on those businesses for their livelihood.”
“The defendant violated the trust placed in him by his employer through the multi-year theft of company funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “Today’s sentencing sends a strong message that those who engage in these types of fraudulent schemes will be held accountable. In this effort, one of our most important partners is the public, and we encourage citizens to continue to report corrupt activity to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or call us at (915) 832-5000.”
In addition, the FBI investigated the case and the Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels prosecuted the case.
