Baton Rouge Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Wire Fraud

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr., announced that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Michael D. Hopwood, Jr., age 40, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 18 months in federal prison following his conviction for wire fraud. The Court further ordered Hopwood to serve three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered restitution in the amount of $340,621.96.

Hopwood was entrusted to provide assistance with certain financial matters to a permanently disabled relative. After obtaining the victim’s personal identifiable information for the purpose of setting up automatic bill pay, Hopwood knowingly and fraudulently made unauthorized purchases, transfers, and withdrawals from the victim’s account for his personal benefit, without the victim’s knowledge, approval, or consent. This scheme was conducted from approximately November 2019 through approximately February 2020 and resulted in a loss of over $300,000.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Harley W. Ferguson and Lyman E. Thornton III.