Wisconsin home construction contractor sentenced to five years in prison for bank fraud and money laundering

Date: August 28, 2024

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Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 28, 2024, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Ross O. Schlomann to five years in federal prison after Schlomann was convicted of bank fraud and money laundering. Schlomann was also ordered to pay $2.1 million in restitution.

According to court records, Schlomann is a former home construction contractor for Refurbs Properties, LLC, which was based in Fremont, Wisconsin. As a contractor, he worked with aspiring homeowners to design homes, hire subcontractors, and manage builds in northeastern Wisconsin and elsewhere. The investigation revealed that Schlomann defrauded more than a dozen victims whose homes he had promised to build. The victims paid Schlomann substantial sums of money, yet they saw little or no work done despite Schlomann's representations. Schlomann accepted the victims' money, made false statements to have the money disbursed by the appliable bank, and then used the money for other purposes, including covering shortages on previous projects. In total, the victims lost $2.1 million.

"To keep his scheme going, Mr. Schlomann made repeated false statements and ultimately caused over $2 million in losses to individuals looking to build homes," said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. "I commend the hard work of all involved in seeking justice for the victims in this case."

"Ross Schlomann not only betrayed the trust of his clients, but he also undermined the very foundation of the construction industry," said Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation CI Chicago Field Office. "His actions represent a grave violation of ethical standards and have left lasting scars on those he victimized. IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to work diligently to ensure that those who exploit and defraud others are held accountable."

In sentencing Schlomann, Judge Griesbach stated that this was a "sophisticated Ponzi scheme" and an "egregious betrayal of trust." Judge Griesbach stressed that Schlomann victimized young families who were seeking to design and build their dream homes.

This case was investigated by CI and the Outagamie County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Alex Duros prosecuted the case.

CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.