PROVIDENCE, RI – A project manager for a real estate
development company headquartered in Newport, RI, has been indicted by a
federal grand jury on charges that he allegedly devised and executed a scheme
in which he obtained more than $200,000 by forging endorsements on checks made
payable to subcontractors and then depositing the proceeds into a bank account
under his control.
A federal grand jury returned a fourteen-count indictment on
May 3, 2018, charging Gregory Meeker, 55, of Barrington, RI, with twelve counts
of fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment was
unsealed during Meeker’s arraignment before U.S. District Court Magistrate
Judge Patricia A. Sullivan on May 4.
According to court documents, it is alleged that soon after
Meeker was employed by Landings Real Estate Group (Landings) in December 2015,
he devised a scheme in which he created false invoices in the names of
subcontractors working on several large construction projects that he managed.
It is alleged that Meeker caused Landings to issue checks in the names of the
subcontractors to pay for work that was not done. It is alleged that Meeker
endorsed the checks and deposited the funds into a bank account he controlled,
which he opened using the identity of another person without their permission.
It is alleged in the indictment that among the projects
Meeker managed that caused Landing to make payments on fraudulent invoices that
he pocketed included the Newport Beach Club Project - the construction of
several luxury residences in Portsmouth; the East Island Reserve Project - the
construction of a hotel in Middletown; and the Long Meadow Landings Project –
the construction of an apartment complex in Groton, CT.
It is also alleged in the indictment that Meeker forged the
endorsement of the “Inspection Department” on checks made payable to the Town
of Portsmouth, and deposited those checks into his bank account. The checks
were drawn from the bank account of the company for which Landings built the
Newport Beach Club Project.
The indictment of Gregory Meeker is announced by United
States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Special Agent in Charge of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation Harold H. Shaw.
An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of
guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the
government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Meeker was released on $100,000 unsecured bond following his
arraignment.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney
Sandra R. Hebert.
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