Joseph Albert Corey was sentenced in federal court to 108 months for two separate fraud schemes causing more than $3.5 million in losses. Corey, 57, and last known to live in or near Los Angeles, was initially charged in 2019 with depositing fraudulent checks into accounts opened under the false name “Dennis Dupont.” Posing as Dennis Dupont, Corey opened bank accounts for two fake companies, “Medical Practice Management” and “Medtronic Inc.” He funded those accounts by depositing unauthorized checks drawn on a bank account owned by a legitimate company, the government’s sentencing memo describes. Corey wrote checks on the victim company’s account totaling more than $370,000. When he successfully deposited a check, Corey laundered the proceeds by using the stolen money to purchase gold coins from a precious metals company. He picked up the gold coin shipments from rented mailboxes in the Bay Area. Once arrested, Corey entered a guilty plea in November 2019 to a federal charge of mail fraud. Corey, however, absconded from his February 2020 sentencing hearing.
