Rock Island, Ill. – John Wils, 47, of East Moline, Illinois, was sentenced in Chicago today to serve 30 months in federal prison for committing mail fraud in the Central District of Illinois and bank robbery in the Northern District of Illinois. Wils previously pled guilty to one count of mail fraud related to a scheme he devised and implemented in 2004 and 2005 to unlawfully obtain money from his clients and the insurance company he worked for while he was an insurance agent in Moline, Illinois. Wils also previously pled guilty to robbing the Plaza Bank located in Des Plaines, Illinois in October 2007. Wils agreed to be sentenced to both crimes in one proceeding held today in Chicago.

With respect to the mail fraud charge filed in the Central District of Illinois, Wils admitted in a plea agreement that while he was an insurance agent he defrauded his employer and four of his clients of more than $13,000. As part of his plea agreement, Wils is required to pay restitution to the victims for the amount he took.

During court proceedings and according to the plea agreement, Wils admitted that he submitted a loan request for $5,000 against a client’s life insurance policy without the client’s knowledge. When the check arrived, Wils deposited the money into his personal checking account. Wils further admitted that he deposited checks from three other clients into his personal account rather than applying the money as requested by the respective clients to payments for insurance and to an IRA account for employees of a small company.

Wils was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his offenses, and to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison. In July 2006, Wils’ insurance licenses were revoked.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Cannon of the Central District of Illinois, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Renai S. Rodney of the Northern District of Illinois. The agencies handling the matter in the Central District of Illinois included the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.