A Deer Park man, age 66, is facing a 33-month prison sentence following his guilty plea for running an unlicensed financial scheme, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Bobby Charles Lee Sr., who had earlier pleaded guilty on June 30th, was involved in moving money through multiple accounts without the necessary legal permissions. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Hoyt mandated Lee to three years of supervised release with stringent conditions, including limits on owning companies and bank accounts, as well as restrictions on accessing technology, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Judge Hoyt strongly condemned Lee’s crimes, calling them the "most outrageous” he’s seen in 37 years on the bench. He said Lee, despite his age, “still have not come home to right” and moved quickly to send him to prison. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lee ran the illegal business from 2020 to 2024, moving suspicious money through several personal and business accounts.
The investigation unveiled Lee's illicit activities, including a fraudulent deposit of a $2.3 million U.S. Treasury check in March 2024. The ill-gotten gains went towards personal enrichment, including the purchase of a Cadillac. Authorities have since reclaimed around $2.1 million of the fraudulent funds and have taken possession of the vehicle. Despite his conviction, Lee was allowed to remain on bond until he voluntarily surrenders to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, the date and location of which have yet to be determined, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The comprehensive investigation was a cooperative effort by the IRS Criminal Investigation and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, with support from the FBI and Deer Park Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Bauman and Kimberly Ann Leo spearheaded the prosecution with Kristine Rollinson from the Asset Recovery Section lending her expertise. Restitution will be owed to the two victims of the scheme, the amounts of which are still under deliberation, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
