Mooresville man sentenced to prison in $1.9 million fraud scheme

A Mooresville man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after stealing nearly $2 million from his employer.

U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina announced that Gene Christopher Acuff, 62, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for carrying out a years-long fraud scheme. Acuff was also ordered to serve one year of supervised release, pay $1,997,150.29 in restitution, and forfeit $400,000 as part of his sentence.

Steven Gutierrez, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Charlotte Field Office, joined in announcing the sentence.

According to court documents, Acuff worked as a senior manager for a large retail company operating across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. His job included reviewing property tax assessments and hiring outside appraisal and consulting firms.

Between January 2020 and June 2024, prosecutors say Acuff created five businesses with names related to real estate appraisal and consulting. He then submitted fraudulent invoices in the names of those companies for services that were never performed. Using his authority within the company’s billing system, Acuff approved the payments himself.

Investigators say he issued more than $1.9 million in payments, depositing the funds into bank accounts he controlled.

In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso stated, “A slap on the wrist in a case like this won’t establish true deterrence.”

Acuff pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering. He will report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once a facility is designated.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bain-Creed in Charlotte.