(Hammond, IN) - A Valparaiso woman has been sentenced to federal prison for wire fraud. 66-year-old Randi Scannell pled guilty to defrauding a business client.

As the owner of Custom Drying Solutions, Scannell overcharged the client with phony invoices totaling over $460,000. An FBI investigation uncovered the scheme.

According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office:

“Between September 2015 and August 2020, Scannell sent scores of fraudulent invoices to Company A for reimbursement of payroll expenses incurred by Custom Drying Solutions. These invoices concealed weekly paychecks that Scannell directed a third-party payroll service to issue to herself and her family members. By paying the invoices, Company A unwittingly funded unearned paychecks totaling $460,182.69 for Scannell and her family members.”

Scannell was sentenced to 10 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. She was also ordered to repay the money.