Clarks Summit man found guilty on fraud charges

Kathleen Bolus, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·1 min read

May 13—A jury convicted a Clarks Summit man accused of defrauding his former employer and conspiring with others to make money off false automobile warranty claims.

Brian Larry, 59, was found guilty of mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statement to the FBI following a seven-day trial held before United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, according to federal Department of Justice.

Larry defrauded his former employer, a Wilkes-Barre-based automobile warranty company, from around January 2014 to October 2018, according to the department. He would steal personal information from warranty policy owners and provide it to his co-conspirators, who created false invoices for nonexistent automobile repair work they claimed was performed at various garages in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The false and forged documentation was sent to the warranty company, where Larry approved payment of the invoices.

During the course of the scheme, Larry and his coconspirators stole around $400,000 paid out by the warranty company, including thousands of dollars in repair work for Larry's personal vehicle.

Three of Larry's co-conspirators — Matthew Gershkoff, 64, and Jason Pannone, 39, both of North Providence, Rhode Island, and Herman Cabral, 62, of Cranston, Rhode Island — pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme and agreed to pay restitution. They are awaiting sentencing.

Larry faces up to 20 years in jail. A sentencing date has not been set.

Contact the writer: kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter

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