Former general manager of Anchorage business sentenced to jail in wire fraud, tax evasion case

This case is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The former general manager of an Anchorage business was sentenced today to nearly five years in prison and is required to pay nearly $3 million in restitution for defrauding the business of millions, while also committing tax evasion. In addition to 58-months in federal prison, the Court ordered Wohlers to pay a fine of $200,000.
According to court documents, in 2008, James Wohlers, 58, of Deatsville, Alabama, was hired by GBR Equipment/Oilfield Services (GBR), an Anchorage based business that provides oilfield services on the North Slope and elsewhere, as their human resource manager. In 2009, Wohlers became their general manager, overseeing vendor interface, employee hiring, payroll and accounting. Part of his responsibilities included coordinating wire transfers from GBR's bank account to outside accounts.
In 2019, an audit was completed on GBR's finances and bank records after employees determined the company was earning sufficient revenue but was unable to pay vendors and employees. The audit revealed that from at least 2013 to 2019, Wohlers executed wire transfers from the GBR account that did not benefit the company and used GBR's corporate credit cards for personal expenses.
Court documents explain that in 2015, Wohlers formed a partnership named BGI Industrial Services (BGI), which was registered with the Alabama Secretary of State. In 2017, GBR performed services for two companies. Wohlers sent both companies invoices from BGI for $25,000 and $2,500 respectively, and both companies paid the invoices. He claimed BGI and GBR were the same company. The money meant for GBR service was deposited into BGI's bank account. Wohlers also used GBR credit cards to pay for business expenses related to BGI and used employees paid by GBR to complete work on behalf of BGI.
In late 2015, Wohlers announced GBR employee pay cuts of 5 to 10 percent, along with other restrictive measures to address GBR's poor financial condition. A few months later, Wohlers announced additional GBR employee pay cuts of 5 to 15 percent. Throughout the scheme, Wohlers manipulated payroll entries to increase his own pay, used GBR money to purchase a car, boat and building and fund personal travel to China, all while cutting the pay of GBR employees in Alaska.
Wohlers was terminated by GBR in August 2019 and proceeded to delete roughly 10,000 emails from GBR's servers. An FBI forensic analysis established that Wohlers stole at least $2.5 million from GBR.
Wohlers did not report the stolen funds on his tax returns and ultimately signed and filed materially false tax returns in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, all to evade and defeat the taxes he owed to the U.S. on those funds. The IRS determined the tax loss to be over $340,000.
On Dec. 18, 2024, Wohlers was indicted by a federal grand jury on wire fraud and tax evasion charges. On Feb. 4, 2026, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion. In handing down the sentence, the Court ordered Wohlers to pay $2,590,084.50 in restitution to GBR and $340,584 in restitution to the IRS.
"For at least seven years, Mr. Wohlers lined his pockets with over two million in stolen funds, all while using his company power to cut the salaries of Alaskan workers," said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. "It is hard to fully quantify the true damage this defendant inflicted through his deceit, but thanks to the law enforcement agencies that diligently investigated this web of lies, Wohlers will be held accountable and millions will be awarded in restitution to the victims in this case."
"Driven by greed, Wohlers perpetrated a years-long, multimillion-dollar fraud scheme by embezzling funds from a local Alaskan business and then engaging in tax evasion," said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. "In this investigation, the FBI followed the money to reveal the truth, exposing Wohlers' deceitful crimes, which not only violated the public's trust, but also caused direct and lasting financial harm to the victims. We will continue to uncover financial fraud schemes, hold fraudsters accountable, and seek justice for victims."
"Mr. Wohlers wrecked his employer's financial condition and ravaged his coworkers' livelihoods with his fraud. Lining his own pockets at the expense of those around him, Mr. Wohlers funded his extravagant lifestyle with stolen funds," said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. "Financial crime is not victimless and has devastating effects on our communities. Because of this, IRS-CI is continually committed to bringing fraudsters like Mr. Wohlers to justice."

The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the IRS Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bradley prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ("Fraud Division"). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.