A New Albany man has been handed a 20-month sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, following a sophisticated scheme where he bilked his employer out of more than $1.2 million. Caleb Keller, 38, orchestrated a fraudulent billing ruse that lasted from April 2017 through June 2021, during which he created sham invoices for nonexistent services through his side company, Polyglot Developers, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
Documents from the court highlight Keller's calculated deception involving the creation of fake employees "Matt Pearson" and "Grant Miller", whom he used to draft false invoices that swindled his employer for services never rendered. In a scheme befitting a modern-day caper, Keller was caught when his ruse became unmasked during a Zoom call. Posing as the fictitious "Pearson" using a video filter, it became clear to an executive from Keller's employer that Pearson was anything but real. Following suspicion confirmed by the disintegration of a digital façade, Keller's employment was swiftly terminated, and so was the contract with Polyglot.
Keller initially maintained the charade that these were legitimate employees in an interview with law enforcement in April 2022. It wasn't until a subsequent interview in July that he fessed up to the fabrication and his act of impersonation. According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Keller's dishonesty led to approximately $1,210,120 fraudulently flowing from his employer's accounts into his own for personal use.
Zachary A. Myers, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, warned of the harm trusted employees could inflict when leveraging their positions for illicit gain. "Protecting Hoosiers and Hoosier businesses from fraud is a top priority for federal law enforcement," Myers stated. In seeking justice, the collaborative efforts of the FBI, IRS-CI, and their federal prosecutors have put Keller behind bars. As part of his sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, Keller has also been ordered to pay full restitution amounting to the sum he's accused of stealing.
The FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation division spearheaded the probe into Keller's activities. FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton, states "The defendant betrayed the trust of his company through his deceit and web of lies for his personal gain and this sentence sends a clear message that there are consequences for such greed." The resoluteness of federal agencies in prosecuting white-collar crimes remains unwavering, a commitment emphasized by Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, who lauded the diligent work of his team in ferreting out Keller's long con.
