Oregon payment processing broker pleads guilty in $14 million bank debit fraud case

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Oregon broker guilty in bank fraud

Highlights

Jeremy Todd Briley pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after helping sham companies generate over $14 million in unauthorized debits between February 2017 and December 2023.
Briley knowingly concealed fraudulent withdrawal activity and arranged for payment processors to manipulate return rates to deceive banks, despite repeated indications of unauthorized transactions.
Briley faces sentencing on July 20 with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, as the case reflects the Justice Department's enhanced anti-fraud enforcement focus post-April 7.

Guilty plea and fraud scheme details

As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Jeremy Todd Briley, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for his role in securing and maintaining payment processing relationships for sham companies that falsely claimed to offer online marketing services to businesses.

Prosecutors say Briley worked as a payment processing broker, matching clients with payment processors in the U.S. His two largest clients were sham companies that instead used the system to fraudulently debit victims’ bank accounts, generating more than $14 million in unauthorized debits and attempted debits.

According to court documents, Briley maintained those processing relationships from February 2017 to December 2023 even though he knew the companies were making fraudulent withdrawals. The Justice Department says he continued after repeatedly receiving information that the debits were not authorized, concealed the companies’ activities in various ways, and arranged for a payment processor to manipulate return rates to deceive banks.

Sentencing timeline and enforcement focus

Briley is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, Chicago Region. Trial Attorney Daniel Zytnick of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida is handling forfeiture.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, USPIS Inspector in Charge Eric Shen, and FDIC-OIG Special Agent in Charge Vincent R. Zehme. The Justice Department also says the case aligns with its broader anti-fraud push following the April 7 creation of its Fraud Division.

Our earlier coverage of the Justice Department’s FOCUS initiative explained how the Civil Division is refining False Claims Act enforcement by working more closely with data miners and other external sources of fraud leads. The program prioritizes analytically rigorous, tech-enabled referrals to help surface misconduct in federal programs, signaling a more selective, data-driven approach to enforcement.

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