LAWFUEL – Legal Jobs & Law News – MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DORRELL GRANT was arrested this afternoon on charges that he stole at least $2
million from his employer, First American Title Insurance Company
of New York (“First American”), by submitting numerous phony
invoices, purportedly for office supplies. DORRELL then
allegedly transferred the money he stole to Jamaica in a series
of wire transfers.
According to the criminal Complaint filed today in
Manhattan federal court:
From 2001 to the present, DORRELL GRANT was responsible
for ordering office supplies for First American from various
vendors. As part of a scheme that stretched from November 2004
to November 2007, GRANT submitted to First American numerous
phony invoices supposedly from a purported office-supply company,
Graceco Solutions, Inc. (“Graceco”). In fact, GRANT owned
Graceco, and simply deposited the payments he received from First
American into a bank account that he controlled. After getting
money from First American, GRANT then engaged in a complex series
of money transfers to ultimately deposit large portions of the
stolen funds to a bank account in Jamaica.
The fraudulent invoices appeared to reflect office
supplies and other services that First American purportedly
received from Graceco. GRANT submitted multiple Graceco invoices
for the same goods and services to different First American
managers for approval. He also caused Graceco to bill First
American for large quantities of office supplies that the company
either does not use, or uses in far smaller quantities than
invoiced. In fact, First American does not have sufficient room
on its premises to store the amount of office supplies that GRANT
caused Graceco to invoice.
GRANT submitted approximately $700,000 worth of Graceco
invoices for payment in 2005, approximately $600,000 in 2006, and
approximately $600,000 in 2007 to date, all of which First
American paid.
DORRELL GRANT is charged with one count of interstate
transportation of stolen property. If convicted on this charge,
he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum
fine of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary loss or gain
derived from the offense. GRANT, 49, resides in Brooklyn, New
York.
GRANT will be presented tomorrow before U.S. Magistrate
Judge ANDREW J. PECK.
Mr. GARCIA praised the work of the United States Postal
Inspection Service and thanked them for their assistance in this
case.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Major
Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney SEETHA
RAMACHANDRAN is in charge of this prosecution.
The charges in the criminal Complaint are merely
accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and
until proven guilty.
07-268
