Joseph Molina Flynn, the once celebrated municipal court judge in Central Falls, admitted Sept. 22 to misleading immigration clients about his services and then using their fees to pay off his credit card and car loan.
Flynn pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. to one count each of wire fraud defrauding clients and tax evasion for failing to file taxes in 2021.
He faces up to 20 years behind bars at his sentencing in December, though federal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence at the lower end of the guidelines under the plea agreement reached in June.
Flynn agreed to repay his victims $83,265 in restitution as part of his plea terms and to repay the government $550,000 to $1.5 million, a sum to be determined. He has to file new tax documents for 2019 through 2023.
His lawyer, John L. Calcagni III, reported that Flynn had sold his East…
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.