Kenyan living in Washington faces up to 70 years in prison for wire fraud conviction

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- A Kenyan national living in Washington now faces decades in prison after he was convicted Thursday of federal wire fraud charges, according to court documents.

A jury convicted Paul Maucha of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

Maucha will be sentenced in the spring and faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud and conspiracy counts, and up to 10 years for engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

The 58-year-old was first arrested in 2021 and later had his pretrial release revoked in 2023 for violating several conditions, court records show.

Maucha was convicted of operating an intricate fee and investment fraud scheme along with co-conspirator Melisa Shapiro, defrauding "numerous victims."

The two operated American Eagle Services Group Inc. (AESG), a shell company owned by Maucha and used the first to "make numerous misrepresentations to victims about AESG, its assets, and its access to money and capital."

Victims seeking long-term loans were assured Maucha's company would provide the capital, contingent on payment of an initial fee, prosecutors said during the trial.

However, after paying the fees, victims never received the loans while Maucha and Shapiro kept the initial deposits.

"(They) did not have the capital to make these loans at the time the lending agreements were executed, and refunds to victims could not be assured because Maucha and his co-conspirator were splitting the fees between themselves and spending them, such that there was no money left to be refunded," the Justice Department said in a statement.

Maucha will return to court for sentencing on May 16.