United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

THREE PLEAD GUILTY TO DEFRAUDING PITNEY BOWES
Former employees charged with mail fraud, filing false tax returns

Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced today that three former employees of Pitney Bowes in Stamford, Connecticut, have waived indictment and each has pleaded guilty to a two-count Information charging involvement in a scheme to defraud Pitney Bowes (mail fraud) and with filing a false U.S. personal income tax return. In separate proceedings today in Bridgeport federal court, United States District Judge Janet C. Hall accepted the guilty pleas of RAYMOND J. WISNIESKI, age 59, of 93 Cognewaugh Road, Cos Cob, Connecticut; OTTO GUHL, JR., age 57, of 745 High Ridge Road, Stamford, Connecticut; and ROBERT J. WILSON, age 62, of 443 Erwin Street, Trumbull, Connecticut.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, from in or about June 1995 through in or about May 2003, while employed at Pitney Bowes, WISNIESKI, GUHL and WILSON engaged in a scheme to defraud Pitney Bowes. In particular, WISNIESKI, an Assistant Controller of the Accounting, Tax and Disbursement Services Department of Mailing Systems Finance, a division of Pitney Bowes, arranged for false entries to be made to the accounting records at Pitney Bowes to the benefit of himself, GUHL and WILSON. GUHL and WILSON worked under WISNIESKI in the same department. The false entries suggested that Pitney Bowes had withheld from the defendants' income significantly more federal and state income taxes than, in fact, had been withheld. As part of the scheme, the defendants would tell Pitney Bowes that the withholding amounts were mistakenly overstated and have Pitney Bowes refund to them a portion of the monies that the company's accounting system suggested had been withheld.

Because the defendants would not typically seek payment from Pitney Bowes for the entire overstated withholding amount, Pitney Bowes would still forward to the IRS, at the required time, the taxes that allegedly had been withheld from each defendant's salary. Thereafter, the defendants would file their yearly federal personal income tax returns. Because the withholding payments made by Pitney Bowes to the IRS far exceeded the taxes due on the defendants' actual salary, the defendants would each year receive a substantial refund. During the scheme, the tax returns filed by the defendants were materially false because they did not include as income the money the defendants had stolen from Pitney Bowes as a result of their scheme.

During the scheme, WISNIESKI unlawfully obtained $492,972 from Pitney Bowes and failed to pay $112,287 in federal income taxes. GUHL unlawfully obtained $351,496 from Pitney Bowes and failed to pay $78,703 in federal income taxes. WILSON unlawfully obtained $177,200 from Pitney Bowes and failed to pay $37,036 in federal income taxes.

"This was a creative scheme, but it's unfortunate that these three individuals chose not to use their creativity in a legal endeavor," U.S. Attorney O'Connor stated. "This Office and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to investigate and prosecute those who cheat both their employer and the federal government."

WISNIESKI, WILSON and GUHL are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Hall on May 12, May 14 and May 18, 2004, respectively. On the mail fraud charge, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of twice the loss caused by the defendant to Pitney Bowes, and a three-year term of supervised release. On the tax charge, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment of three years, followed by a one-year term of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.

CONTACT:

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