Former Hillsborough Detective Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud

Brian Ouellette of Valrico, a former Hillsborough County sheriff’s detective, pleaded guilty in a Tampa federal courtroom last week to five counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.

Ouellette is the second ex-Rooms To Go security executive to plead guilty to defrauding the furniture company out of more than $800,000 through kickbacks from vendors.

The first person to plead in the conspiracy was James B. Loftus Jr., the former security director of the Tampa-based furniture chain. Loftus was sentenced to 24 months in prison earlier this month. He was also ordered to pay $287,562 in restitution to the company.

According to court documents, Loftus and Ouellette, Rooms-to-Go’s former vice president of corporate security, created companies in order to receive kickbacks from Security Alliance, a vendor that hired and managed security guards for Rooms To Go.

Security Alliance created another company to make the kickbacks to Loftus and Ouellette, according to federal prosecutors. In exchange, Ouellette and Loftus gave Security Alliance favorable treatment. The duo then allegedly hid the proceeds of their scheme through phony invoices and consulting contracts.

Investigators say that the enterprise netted over $800,000 – monies that would not have otherwise been paid out by Rooms-to-Go. Ouellette agreed to cooperate with investigators and to repay $804,792. A presentence investigation is pending (which is standard procedure) and no sentencing date has yet been set.

If you or someone you know is the subject of a criminal investigation in the workplace, it is best to contact an experienced Tampa Bay area criminal defense attorney immediately. Even before charges are filed, a defense attorney can assist you in dealing with law enforcement and help put you in the best possible position moving forward.

See Also:

• Former OSI Restaurant Partners Employee Sentenced to Prison for Embezzlement
• Controller of Ralph Hughes’ Company Guilty of Embezzlement