Canadian sentenced in Central IL for international fraud scheme

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A man from Canada has been sentenced to more than four years in a U.S. federal prison for participating in an international fraud scheme.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois said Sebastian Cheleman, 38, was sentenced on Thursday for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which he pleaded guilty to in February. He and several other conspirators took part in an elder fraud that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from people across the United States, including numerous people in Central Illinois.

Prosecutors said that between April and June of 2023, Cheleman and co-conspirators operating in Canada called elderly people throughout the United States, pretended to be their loved ones and claimed that they had been arrested. The conspirators asked for money to either pay bail or pay for lawyers.

Once a victim agreed to pay, Cheleman acted as a bail bondsman or courier to pick up the funds. Prosecutors said that as part of the fraud, Cheleman provided the victims with a receipt that included a fake case number, the fake name he used in these interactions and the amount of money paid.

Evidence showed that Cheleman directly received over $380,000 from victims, including $138,000 from Central Illinois victims that was in his possession when he was arrested in Sangamon County. The conspirators also received $79,000 through the mail and unsuccessfully tried to steal a further $290,000. The grand total of successful and attempted theft adds up to $750,000.

“Elder fraud is a massive and growing problem that affects one of our most vulnerable age groups. It accounts for billions of dollars in losses and in many instances leaves victims financially and emotionally devastated,” said Jermaine Deans, the Acting Special Agent in Charge for the FBI’s Springfield field office. “This sentence demonstrates the commitment of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those who seek to harm the elderly.”

In addition to the FBI, the Springfield Police Department and Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office investigated the fraud scheme locally. They had assistance from law enforcement in Virginia, Ohio, New York and Wisconsin.

On top of his four-year prison sentence, Cheleman will have to pay $460,000 in restitution to his victims.

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