EVANSVILLE – On April 21, 2022, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Indiana returned an indictment charging James H. Cox, 44, of Robards, Kentucky, with ten counts of wire fraud. The indictment was unsealed late yesterday following the defendant’s arrest.
According to court documents, Cox was formerly employed as the Parts Manager for a business located in Evansville. Cox was responsible for ordering parts and logging them into inventory. From approximately 2016 to 2020, Cox is alleged to have defrauded his employer by ordering parts that the business did not need, stealing the parts, selling them on eBay, and retaining the proceeds from the sales for his own personal benefit. Cox did not disclose to eBay or potential buyers that the products listed for sale were stolen.
If convicted, Cox faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on each count. Actual sentences are determined by a federal district court judge and are typically less than the maximum penalties. The defendant was ordered detained in the custody of the United States Marshal pending a hearing scheduled for Friday, April 29, 2022.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Herbert Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Indianapolis Field Office, and Andrew M. Campion, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the USSS Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Secret Service are investigating the case. The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Miller, who is prosecuting this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law