Hesperia man charged in $1.2 million fraud scheme

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·2 min read
Darrell Pike, 56, of Hesperia has agreed to plead guilty to embezzling over $1.2 million from his employer, according to the Department of Justice.
Darrell Pike, 56, of Hesperia has agreed to plead guilty to embezzling over $1.2 million from his employer, according to the Department of Justice.

A Hesperia man who was charged has agreed to plead guilty to embezzling more than $1.2 million from his employer over 16 years, according to the Department of Justice.

Darrell Pike, 56, who agreed to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud, will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date for a plea hearing that has not yet been scheduled by the court, the DOJ announced Monday.

Pike was the general manager of an Ontario subsidiary of a supply and service company based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, according to the charging document.

From around 2005 to 2021, Pike allegedly prepared and submitted fraudulent invoices to his employer on behalf of a fake temporary staffing company, Consumer Information Systems, for staffing services CIS purportedly provided at his employer’s Ontario location.

It was also alleged that Pike added approving initials of company personnel to the invoices without their knowledge or consent.

Through the fraudulent invoices, Pike allegedly caused the company to pay approximately $1,271,206 to CIS, which he deposited into a bank account that he controlled.

The charge of mail fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss.

Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, announced on Monday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of Rollins’ Securities & Financial Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, according to the DOJ.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Hesperia man charged in $1.2 million fraud scheme, Department of Justice