Two Florida men plead guilty for their roles in multi-million dollar fraud scheme that stretched across the country

Alec Dierna, 32, and John Engler, 40, both of Boca Raton, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Between August 2020 and July 2022, Dierna, Engler, and five co-defendants conspired to defraud companies throughout the United States to fraudulently obtain money and property. To execute their scheme, Dierna, Engler, and their co-defendants sent mailers from Florida, California, and Rochester, NY, to tens of thousands of victim companies throughout the United States. The mailers were intended to deceive the victim companies into believing that they had previously ordered products from the companies of co-conspirators, for which they owed payment. The names used on the mailers included Office Outlet; America’s Best; United Chemicals; Hi-Tech Industrial; North Atlantic Supply; Top Tier Chemicals; Nationwide Chemicals; Direct Chemical; Easton Chemical; Safety Supply; and Union Gloves. As a result of the conspiracy, several thousand victim companies paid $8,010,543.50 to co-conspirators’ companies for products that they did not order. Co-defendants Dylan Paul Costanza, Nicholas Scarantino, Kyle Paul Edward Gibson, Tommy Lee Coburn, and Bryan Lantry were all previously convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and are awaiting sentencing. The company Five Star Warehouse, LLC, entered a corporate plea to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and is also awaiting sentencing.