Two individuals from Chicago have been sentenced for their involvement in a wire fraud and money laundering scheme that defrauded a North Pole, Alaska restaurant of over $128,000. The sentencing took place on May 8, 2025.
Jacob Centeno, aged 40, received a sentence of three and a half years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. His co-defendant, Amber Davila, aged 36, was sentenced to two years in prison with the same period of supervised release.
The fraudulent activities were discovered in August 2022 when the restaurant owner noticed missing funds from the business bank account. Investigations revealed that Centeno and Davila used two shell companies they had set up in Chicago—EROS LLC and ORODMEDLINE LLC—to siphon off $128,246.05 intended for the restaurant's account.
On July 29, 2022, an unknown accomplice altered the business bank account information to redirect funds into the fraudulent ORODMEDLINE LLC account. Subsequently, Centeno and Davila accessed the victim's email unlawfully to confirm this change and attempted to cover their tracks by deleting related emails.
The stolen money was used by Centeno and Davila to purchase over $41,000 in money orders in Chicago. These funds were then deposited into various accounts below reporting thresholds to avoid detection under Bank Secrecy Act requirements.
Both defendants were indicted in June 2024 and pleaded guilty on January 31, 2025, to all counts listed in the indictment. In delivering the sentences, the Court noted the significant impact on victims caused by their actions.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska stated: “Mr. Centeno and Ms. Davila orchestrated an elaborate fraud scheme from Chicago to steal over $100,000 from a small business in North Pole, Alaska - 3,300 miles away.” He emphasized that such crimes would be pursued aggressively across state lines.
Special Agent Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office commented on how “the defendants’ complex and interstate fraud scheme involved stealing funds from a local business in North Pole, Alaska.” She affirmed that distance does not hinder justice for those affected.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies including the FBI Anchorage Field Office and North Pole Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek led the prosecution with support from colleagues based in Illinois.