Man Allegedly Defrauds Bergen County Business, Obtains $220,000

A Seminole, Fla. man was arrested at his home by FBI agents Tuesday for allegedly using phony invoices from his transportation company to obtain $220,000 from a Bergen County-based factoring business, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Karl Stehlin, 60, was charged by indictment with five counts of wire fraud. He was scheduled to appear Tuesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun III in Tampa, Fla., federal court.

According to the indictment:

From June through September 2014, Stehlin allegedly defrauded the Bergen County factoring business that purchased accounts receivable in return for short-term financing, according to a news release from Fishman’s office.

Stehlin created a bogus Idaho-based company, Sawyer Express Transportation Inc., and emailed accounts receivable invoices to the factoring company for transportation services that were never provided, according to the news release.

As a result, Stehlin allegedly was able to defraud the factoring company out of $220,000 in advance payment on those invoices. The charge of wire fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, according to the release.