A Horizon City man pleaded guilty in federal court in El Paso Tuesday to wire fraud.
According to court documents, Ricardo Robles, 41, was employed in a position in which he was responsible for purchasing goods from suppliers. His employer would then resell the goods for profit. Robles created numerous sham companies beginning in 2010 and used those sham companies to purchase goods and inflate the prices along with his co-conspirators. On his employer’s behalf, Robles would then purchase from his sham companies and divert portions of those payments to his personal bank accounts.
Robles pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Robles also agrees to pay restitution of approximately $9,890,489.53. A sentencing date has been tentatively set for May 30. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels is prosecuting the case.