United States of America v. Tony Ream

New York, New York criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Stealing $1.6 Million from Customer Credit Accounts

Manager at Long Island Company Indicted for Stealing $1.6 Million from Customer Credit Accounts

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Tony Ream was arraigned on an indictment charging him with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his employment at a Long Island company (the Company). Ream was a credit supervisor for the Company, which was a worldwide distributor of medical and dental supplies with its principal place of business in Melville, New York. Over the course of four years, Ream sent wire transfers totaling approximately $1.6 million from the Company's bank account to a bank account that he controlled. The arraignment was held before Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke.



Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arraignment.



"As alleged, Ream is a thief who abused his authority and betrayed his employer to fund his lifestyle, including paying for the renovations of a restaurant he opened, footing the bill for his own wedding, and traveling around the world, all on the company's dime,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. "Embezzling company funds is a serious crime and my Office will vigorously prosecute this case to ensure Ream is held accountable for his brazen scheme.”



"Tony Ream allegedly embezzled over one million dollars from his former company by diverting corporate funds to his personal account and deceiving his subordinates into perpetuating this theft,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. "Ream allegedly abused his position and stole from his former company to fund his extravagant expenses. The FBI remains committed to investigating any individual who orchestrates a scheme to exploit their company to finance personal wish lists.”



As set forth in court filings and statements made in court, Ream was hired by the Company in 2019 to work in their credit department. Starting in 2020 as a credit supervisor, Ream stole corporate funds from customer refund accounts and diverted the funds to his own accounts. Additionally, while in his role as supervisor, Ream deceived employees whom he supervised into taking steps that assisted him in carrying out his fraudulent scheme. Ream spent tens of thousands of dollars of the proceeds of his fraud on his wedding, hundreds of thousands on a failed restaurant venture in South Carolina, and tens of thousands on luxury international vacations.



The government's case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office's Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorney Charles P. Kelly is charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder.