Description: Burlington, Vermont criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with interstate transportation of a stolen check.

Nicholas Melanson, age 41, of Manchester, New Hampshire, admitted to traveling from New Hampshire, where he lived and worked, to the residence of an elderly woman in Windsor, Vermont on five occasions between May 11 and May 19, 2022. Melanson was directed to transport the elderly woman from her Windsor home to one or more banks to conduct transactions, and to obtain checks from her. Two of these checks were payable to Melanson, each in the amount of $25,000. Melanson deposited these checks into his bank accounts in New Hampshire, though ultimately the payments were stopped and any deposits were reversed. Based on Melanson’s personal interactions with the elderly woman, he made various observations about her cognitive limitations, including that he believed she was not able to make informed decisions about large financial transactions without instruction from someone else. The attempted or completed financial transactions that Melanson facilitated or conducted for the elderly woman totaled at least $392,000, though many of the transactions were ultimately stopped or reversed.

Melanson was arrested in connection with this matter on September 29, 2022. He was released on conditions that day and remains on release pending sentencing. Melanson faces a maximum possible penalty of ten years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $250,000. The actual sentence will be determined by Judge Reiss with reference to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the United States Code.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Windsor, Vermont Police Department, and he further thanked the Windsor Police Department for its efforts on behalf of the victim in this matter.

Melanson is represented in this matter by Assistant Federal Public Defender Mary Nerino. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Cate and Michael Drescher have handled the case for the government.

18:1343, 2.F FRAUD BY WIRE, RADIO, OR TELEVISION - transmitted by means of wire communication in interstate and foreign commerce instant messages for the purpose of executing a scheme to defraud R.W. of money and property by materially false and fraudulent pretenses
(1-6)
18:1343 & 2.F FRAUD BY WIRE, RADIO, OR TELEVISION - cause wire communications for the purpose of executing a scheme to defraud R.W. and to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent representations
(1s-6s)
18:1344(2) & 2.F BANK FRAUD - knowingly executed and attempted to execute a scheme to obtain any of the moneys, funds, credits, assets, securities, or other property owned by, or under the custody or control of, a financial institution, by means of false or fraudulent representations
(7s)
18:2314 & 2.F SCHEME TO DEFRAUD: MONEY, STATE TAX STAMPS - unlawfully transmitted in interstate commerce a check stolen, converted and taken by fraud
(8s)
18:2314 & 2.F SCHEME TO DEFRAUD: MONEY, STATE TAX STAMPS - unlawfully transmitted in interstate commerce a check stolen, converted and taken by fraud
(9s-14s)

Outcome: Defendant elected to plead guilty.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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