A Colorado man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. Julio Melendez, 31, faces ten counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The indictment states that Melendez allegedly orchestrated a payroll fraud scheme at the company where he was employed as a project manager from March 2020 to November 2020. The Maryland-based business, which offers maintenance, custodial, janitorial, and construction services to federal government agencies, had a contract in place during 2020 obliging it to provide specific services, including janitorial work and groundskeeping.
Melendez, whose duties included supervising employees, managing timekeeping, and approving timesheets, is accused of conspiring with subordinates to falsify timesheets and collect unearned wages from the company. Employees allegedly returned a portion of these payments to Melendez. This scheme reportedly resulted in the company paying approximately $82,000 for services that were not rendered.
The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Treasury is conducting the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Tim Neff is handling the prosecution.
It is important to note that the charges in the indictment are merely allegations. Julio Melendez remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Case Number: 25-cr-00103-RMR