MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Michel Poirier, 60, Montreal, Canada, was sentenced on June 10, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 3 years in federal prison for mail fraud. Poirier pleaded guilty to this charge on March 20, 2026, following his extradition from Canada.
Between 2011 and May 2016, operating out of Canada, Poirier orchestrated a mass marketing fraud scheme that targeted printing companies and consumers in the United States, including the Western District of Wisconsin, resulting in a loss to victims of more than $1.2 million.
Using aliases, Poirier contacted printing companies in the U.S., representing that he was working for direct mail companies looking for United States suppliers to handle mass mailings of brochures. After the victim printing companies incurred costs for…
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.