U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that Wavy Curtis Shain, 38, of La Grange, Kentucky was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit mail fraud. Shain pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2020. U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff also ordered Shain to pay $23,373.92 in restitution and imposed a $40,000.00 fine.
In 2017, Shain was on supervised release for a prior federal mortgage fraud conviction when he conspired with an individual in the Western District of Michigan (“Person A”) to fraudulently obtain loans for an Okemos-based health care provider, Advanced Medical Services, P.L.L.C. (d/b/a Advanced Sleep Diagnostics of Michigan). Shain received fraudulent loan documents, completed and signed in the name of another individual (“Person B”), from Person A. Shain falsely authenticated those forged signatures by placing fake notary stamps and fake notary signatures on certain loan documents, including documents representing that Person B would personally guarantee the loans. Shain then mailed the fraudulent loan documents to out-of-state lenders. Person B was not aware that his identity was being used to procure these business loans.
In May 2018, during the investigation of Person A, Shain lied to the FBI and claimed he had no role in the loan applications. At the time, however, Shain was using Person B’s identity in another loan fraud scheme. At sentencing, Judge Neff described Shain as a “serial fraudster” and described crimes involving identity theft as “horrendous offenses against an individual.”
“The Court imposed a well-deserved sentence that reflects the seriousness and pattern of Shain’s financial crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Birge. “I commend law enforcement—including our federal partners in Kentucky—for their extraordinary efforts in investigating this case.”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Agents from the IRS Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General in Louisville, Kentucky provided substantial and valuable assistance in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam B. Townshend represented the United States.