New Albany Man Sentenced to Twenty Months in Federal Prison for Stealing Over $1.2 Million from his Employer

NEW ALBANY- Caleb Keller, 38, of New Albany, Indiana has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

According to court documents, Keller began working for his employer in 2011, soon after graduating college. Between April 2017 and June 2021, Keller created and submitted 101 false and fraudulent invoices to his former employer through his side business, Polyglot Developers. After arranging for his employer to contract with Polyglot, he created two fictitious employees, “Matt Pearson” and “Grant Miller.” He then drafted false invoices that billed his employer for services allegedly performed by the two fake employees.

For example, on April 29, 2019, Keller submitted a $19,940 invoice to his employer for services allegedly rendered by four employees, including $15,200 for services allegedly rendered by the two fictitious employees. When an executive at his employer became suspicious of the fake employees and demanded a meeting with “Matt Pearson,” Keller pretended to be Pearson on a Zoom call by using a video filter. During the meeting, it became obvious that Pearson was not real and that the person purporting to be Pearson was actually Keller. Following the meeting, Keller was fired and his employer’s relationship with Polyglot was terminated.

In April 2022, Keller was interviewed by law enforcement investigators and insisted that Pearson and Miller were actual employees who provided services to his employer. In July 2022, Keller was interviewed again and admitted that the purported employees were fake and that he had impersonated Pearson on the Zoom call.

Due to this years’ long scheme, Keller’s employer was deceived into paying Keller approximately $1,210,120 for work they believed was completed by fictitious employees of Keller’s business. Keller used the fraudulently obtained money to pay for personal expenses.

“Trusted employees can cause tremendous harm to a business when they exploit their positions to steal and cover it up,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Protecting Hoosiers and Hoosier businesses from fraud is a top priority for federal law enforcement. Thanks to the efforts of the FBI, IRS-CI, and our federal prosecutor, this criminal has been accountable for his actions. The federal prison sentence imposed here should be a warning to would-be fraudsters that economic crimes can lead to paying a very serious price.”

“The defendant betrayed the trust of his company through his deceit and web of lies for his personal gain and this sentence sends a clear message that there are consequences for such greed,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI is committed to continuing to root out these white-collar criminals and ensure they are held accountable.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: those who engage in wire fraud and money laundering schemes will be held accountable,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Our dedicated special agents worked tirelessly to uncover this long-running scheme, and this outcome underscores our commitment to bringing justice to individuals like Caleb Keller, who exploit and defraud their employers. IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and prosecute those who violate the trust placed in them, ensuring that financial crimes do not go unpunished.”

The FBI and IRS-CI investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Keller pay $1,210,120 in restitution to the victim business.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Miller, who prosecuted this case.

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