Hoosier State Today

Brandon Alford, a 47-year-old resident of Washington, Indiana, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. This sentence comes after he pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and five counts of tax evasion. Following his prison term, Alford will undergo one year of supervised release. He is also required to pay restitution amounting to $1,006,500 to the victim and $319,793.02 to the IRS.

Court documents reveal that between 2017 and 2023, Alford worked as a service writer for a heavy equipment supplier in Indiana. During this period, he created a fraudulent company named A&D Distributing LLC as part of a scheme to embezzle funds from his employer. By manipulating transactions with a machine parts retailer in Indiana and submitting false invoices for undelivered parts, Alford was able to siphon $939,500 through wire transfers into A&D Distributing’s account.

Alford further compounded his offenses by failing to report income from these fraudulent activities on his tax returns from 2017 through 2022. This resulted in a tax loss of $253,459. His actions included filing false federal income tax returns and structuring transactions to evade detection.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers commented on the case stating: “This defendant abused his position of trust and professional relationships to steal a million dollars from his unsuspecting employer, cheat on his taxes, and cover up his crimes.” Myers emphasized the importance of prosecuting economic crimes against businesses and individuals.

Ramsey E. Covington from the IRS-Criminal Investigation highlighted the impact of Alford's actions: “Tax evasion and financial fraud undermine trust and hurt real people.” Herbert J. Stapleton from the FBI's Indianapolis Field Office added that such crimes are not without victims: “The defendant chose to intentionally create a false business and abuse his position of trust with his employer for his own personal gain.”

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Miller.