Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 4, 2022, Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Robert Narvett (age: 57), of Appleton, Wisconsin to 180 months’ imprisonment for one count of Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 and one count of Money Laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956. Narvett was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims, sentenced to three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 Special Assessment.
Narvett was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2021 and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on January 21, 2022. Judge Griesbach found that Narvett defrauded nearly 70 different victims, including his family, friends, and neighbors of over $2 million and that he engaged in the scheme for over a decade. More than a dozen of Narvett’s victims spoke at the sentencing hearing, describing the ways in which Narvett ruined their lives. Many described ruined credit scores, inability to afford basic life necessities, and having to re-enter the workforce after retiring. One victim told Judge Griesbach that Narvett’s fraud made her a “prisoner of my life.”
Judge Griesbach described Narvett’s crime as “horrible,” noting that it had the “earmarks of violent crime” because of the way it impacted Narvett’s victims. He described Narvett’s conduct as “astounding” and explained that the 15-year sentence he was imposing was necessary to provide just punishment, protect the public, and send a serious message to others that financial crimes that victimize people do not pay.
“The sentence imposed in this case reflects the devastating impact that white collar crime can have on individual victims and our entire community,” stated U.S. Attorney Frohling. “To satisfy his own greed, Mr. Narvett left a wake of financial devastation and shattered lives for his family, friends, and others whose trust he had gained. I commend the team of agents, attorneys, and support staff who dedicated themselves to pursuing justice for the victims in this case.”
“The fraud committed by a trusted friend, family member, and neighbor for personal gain was devastating and negatively impacted our community members.” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle. “The FBI continues to work with our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure perpetrators of financial fraud are investigated and brought to face justice.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Julie F. Stewart and Daniel R. Humble prosecuted. Narvett is also facing a pending civil action brought by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission regarding similar conduct.
