Southern Indiana man sentenced to prison for defrauding local business out of $1.2 million

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A southern Indiana man was sentenced to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Wednesday that Caleb Keller, 38, of New Albany, created and submitted more than 100 false and fraudulent invoices to his employer through this side business, Polygot Developers.

Between April 2017 and June 2021, the DOJ said Keller's employer was deceived into paying Keller more than $1.2 million for work they believed was completed by Polygot Developers. Keller then used that money on personal expenses, investigators found.

The DOJ didn't name Keller's employee that he defrauded, but Samtec, Inc. confirmed Wednesday that it was the company involved.

“Samtec would like to acknowledge and thank federal law enforcement officials for their thorough and definitive actions taken in response to this matter," Samtec officials said in a written statement Wednesday. "When irregularities were identified internally, we immediately notified the appropriate authorities and took steps within the company to address this isolated incident. Samtec kept the information confidential in order to ensure the integrity of the investigation."

Keller kept the rouse up for years, the DOJ said. But when he submitted a $19,940 invoice in April 2019 for work completed by four employees — two of whom, Grant Miller and Matt Pearson, were fictitious — an executive at his employer demanded to meet with Pearson. Investigators said Keller then pretended to be Pearson on a Zoom call by using a video filter. The executive quickly realized it was actually Keller, though, and fired him that day.

Three years later, in April 2022, Keller was interviewed by investigators and still insisted that Miller and Pearson were real. Two months later, he was interviewed again and admitted they were fake.

"The defendant betrayed the trust of his company through his deceit and web of lies for his personal gain and this sentence sends a clear message that there are consequences for such greed," Herbert J. Stapleton, FBI Indianapolis special agent in charge, said in a news release Wednesday. "The FBI is committed to continuing to root out these white-collar criminals and ensure they are held accountable."

Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ordered Keller to pay $1,210,120 in restitution to his former employer.

"Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: those who engage in wire fraud and money laundering schemes will be held accountable," Ramsey E. Covington, acting special agent in charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office, said in a news release Wednesday. "Our dedicated special agents worked tirelessly to uncover this long-running scheme, and this outcome underscores our commitment to bringing justice to individuals like Caleb Keller, who exploit and defraud their employers. IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and prosecute those who violate the trust placed in them, ensuring that financial crimes do not go unpunished."

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