Two Florida men plead guilty for their roles in multi-million dollar fraud scheme that stretched across the country

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Alec Dierna, 32, and John Engler, 40, both of Boca Raton, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Between August 2020 and July 2022, Dierna, Engler, and five co-defendants conspired to defraud companies throughout the United States to fraudulently obtain money and property. To execute their scheme, Dierna, Engler, and their co-defendants sent mailers from Florida, California, and Rochester, NY, to tens of thousands of victim companies throughout the United States. The mailers were intended to deceive the victim companies into believing that they had previously ordered products from the companies of co-conspirators, for which they owed payment. The names used on the mailers included Office Outlet; America's Best; United Chemicals; Hi-Tech Industrial; North Atlantic Supply; Top Tier Chemicals; Nationwide Chemicals; Direct Chemical; Easton Chemical; Safety Supply; and Union Gloves. As a result of the conspiracy, several thousand victim companies paid $8,010,543.50 to co-conspirators' companies for products that they did not order.

Co-defendants Dylan Paul Costanza, Nicholas Scarantino, Kyle Paul Edward Gibson, Tommy Lee Coburn, and Bryan Lantry were all previously convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and are awaiting sentencing. The company Five Star Warehouse, LLC, entered a corporate plea to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and is also awaiting sentencing.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa M. Marangola and Kyle P. Rossi. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis, II, the IRS Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr., New York Field Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Justin Page, Boston Division.

Dierna and Engler are scheduled to be sentenced on February 10, 2027, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vacca.

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