United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

WATERBURY MAN WHO STOLE FROM CHESHIRE COMPANY IS SENTENCED

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GARY J. HELLMANN, age 36, of 31 Porter Manor Drive, Waterbury, Connecticut, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to three months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. HELLMANN was also ordered to spend the first 12 months of his term of supervised release confined to his home with electronic monitoring by the U.S. Probation Office. On July 7, 2006, HELLMANN waived indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax fraud.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, from January 1997 through July 2005, HELLMANN was employed in the credit and collections department of Edward Systems Technology (“EST”) of Cheshire, Connecticut. EST would routinely refer its uncollectible debts to collection agencies, and it was part of HELLMANN’s job responsibilities to process invoices received by EST for debt collection services from those agencies. In October 1998, HELLMANN began submitting invoices to EST from “A. Negron LLC” or “A. Negron,” purportedly for debt collection services. “A. Negron LLC” and “A. Negron” were creations of HELLMANN. They did no business and existed in name only. HELLMANN directed the EST accounts receivable/payable department to return the “A. Negron LLC” and “A. Negron” checks to him, which he then would deposit into bank accounts he maintained at People's Bank.

From October 1998 through July 2005, HELLMANN submitted 266 invoices to EST in the names “A. Negron LLC” and “A. Negron,” and received payments totaling approximately $762,658. HELLMANN did not pay income tax on any of the money.

EST was acquired by General Electric Company in 2005.

HELLMANN is required to pay full restitution to General Electric, and taxes, penalties and interest of approximately $150,000.

In sentencing HELLMANN, Judge Arterton departed from the sentencing guidelines
range of 30 to 37 months of imprisonment due to HELLMANN’s responsibilities as the principal caretaker of his ailing mother.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Calvin B. Kurimai.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov