Wife of Convicted Felon Thomas Parenteau Sentenced in Ohio to 33 Months in Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy

Co-Conspirator Described by Witnesses as Thomas Parenteau’s Mistress Receives 24 Month Prison Sentence

WASHINGTON - Marsha Parenteau of Dublin, Ohio, has been sentenced for conspiring to commit money laundering, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.   U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson on Wednesday sentenced Parenteau to serve 33 months in prison.   In addition to the prison term, Judge Watson ordered Parenteau to serve a three year term of supervised release after her prison term, and to pay restitution.

The court also ordered Parenteau to forfeit to the U.S. government a vacant lot in the Wedgewood golf community in Dublin, which was purchased with some of the illegally obtained funds. The court furthered ordered the government to seize Parenteau’s personal belongings maintained at two storage garages and the home of a friend, and sell the belongings at auction to pay towards the restitution judgment.    

Pamela McCarty of Columbus, Ohio, one of Marsha Parenteau’s co-conspirators, was sentenced today for conspiring to commit tax fraud, money laundering and bank fraud.   U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson sentenced McCarty to 24 months in prison.

According to court testimony and documents, Marsha Parenteau was the wife of convicted Columbus-area home builder, Thomas Parenteau.  Marsha Parenteau conspired with her husband, his accountant Dennis Sartain, McCarty and others to launder unlawful proceeds generated from nearly $19 million in fraudulently obtained loans against a personal residence.

Marsha Parenteau was called as a witness by her husband at his trial in July 2010, in which Thomas Parenteau was convicted of conspiracy to commit tax fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, obstruction of justice and other felony charges. The sentencing for Mr. Parenteau is not yet scheduled.

According to court testimony and documents, McCarty was a real estate agent, whom witnesses during court proceedings described as Thomas Parenteau’s mistress.   McCarty previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with other individuals at Your Home Source, real estate brokerage company, to defraud the United States by impairing and impeding the IRS by falsely understating amounts paid to workers.   McCarty also admitted conspiring with Thomas Parenteau, Marsha Parenteau, Sartain and others to launder unlawful proceeds generated from more than $6 million in fraudulently obtained loans against a personal residence.  McCarty further admitted to conspiring with Sartain and others to commit bank fraud by helping a Your Home Source employee fraudulently obtain a mortgage to buy a home from McCarty, which she held in trust for Thomas Parenteau, at an inflated price with an undisclosed kickback.

McCarty participated pro-actively with the government in the investigation of the Parenteaus and Sartain by wearing a recording device and taping conversations with her co-conspirators.

John A. DiCicco, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division, commended the IRS Criminal Investigation special agents who investigated the case, as well as Tax Division trial attorneys Richard Rolwing and Sean O’Connell, who prosecuted the case.

 More information about the Justice Department’s Tax Division and its enforcement efforts is available at www.usdoj.gov/tax.