Briton living in Las Vegas pleads guilty in $11M fraud case
A British man living in Las Vegas pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud and identity theft charges in a case that authorities said involved the theft of millions from victims.
Gareth David Long, 40, entered his plea in Las Vegas in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon. He will be sentenced on Feb. 20.
Authorities said in a news release Long that “admitted that he created and deposited checks drawn on the checking accounts of more than 375,000 victims without authorization during a six-month period in 2013.” The U.S. attorney’s office for Nevada said Long used money from the scheme to buy land in Texas, airplanes and vehicles, including “a fire truck and construction and farm equipment.”
During one six-month period Long stole approximately $11 million, the attorney’s office said. U.S. Postal Service inspectors seized nearly $2.9 million from Long’s company bank accounts. Long will forfeit the ranch and land he purchased in Texas, the press release stated.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@review-journal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
