Man Who Defrauded Bergen Company Of $220K Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison

A Florida man was sentenced to more than four years in prison for using phony invoices to defraud a Bergen County business out of more than $220,000, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

U.S. District Judge William Martini sentenced Karl Stehlin to 51 months in prison Tuesday, Fishman said.

Stehlin, 61, admitted that from June to September 2014 he defrauded three businesses out of $837,000: $220,000 from the Bergen business, $524,000 from a Las Vegas company, and $128,000 from a California business. Fishman said. Fishman's office did not release where the Bergen County business is located.

Stehlin, a.k.a. "Mark Sawyer," created a bogus Idaho-based company, Sawyer Express Transportation Inc. and emailed invoices to the companies for transportation services that were never provided, Fishman said.

In addition to the 4-year jail term, Martini sentenced Stehlin to three years of supervised release. He also ordered Stehlin to make restitution and repay the stolen funds.

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

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