Micky Lee Wagner, a man with a history of fraudulent activities, has been sentenced to almost eight years in prison for defrauding factoring companies of over $5 million. He used stolen identities and created a fake staffing company, Right Step Staffing, to deceive factoring companies into advancing him millions of dollars.
Wagner provided fraudulent contracts and invoices, claiming that his company had provided temporary workers to major businesses, even though they had no such relationship. He even created fake email addresses to confirm these nonexistent agreements.
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“Wagner has an extensive history of devising schemes to take advantage of unsuspecting businesses and individuals,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Thanks to the diligence of our federal law enforcement partners at FBI, a measure of justice has been achieved that will also prevent Wagner from victimizing others.”
“Wagner took great measures to create the fraudulent billing scheme to use these companies like his personal ATM,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley. “His actions not only harmed businesses, but also the victims of his identity theft. Wagner will now have several years behind bars to consider the impact of his actions.”
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After receiving the funds, Wagner used the money for personal expenses such as real estate, luxury cars, plastic surgery, and a cruise. After his indictment in 2022, Wagner fled and continued his fraudulent activities, defrauding another factoring company and attempting to defraud others.
Wagner, 57, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Kansas City, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J. P. Boulee to seven years, 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,092,512.88. Wagner was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on April 24, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
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