SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A former employee of a Farmer City school district admitted to defrauding it of over $336,000.Â
Joshua Raymer, 45, of Clinton pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of wire fraud. The plea happened over videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins.Â
The scheme was carried out from April 2016 to December 2018, when he lied to a Blue Ridge Community School District official and said computer switches had failed and needed to be replaced to maintain the district computer system. He repeatedly used his position to have the district order over 100 switches it didn't use or need from two separate vendors for more than $400,000. Authorities said another 28 switches were ordered and never paid for, leading to a vendor suffering a loss of about $106,200.Â
Raymer admitted to contacting at least five different buyers while acting under his name and doing business as "The Bored Woodworker." He negotiated a purchase price for the switches, then shipped them to the buyers with payments going to himself or his business name. The switches were first shipped to and paid for by the Blue Ridge district.Â
Raymer is scheduled to be sentenced on June 21, 2021. In his plea agreement, he must pay full restitution of $336,276 to the Blue Ridge district and its insurer. A total of $106,200 must be paid to a computer vendor.Â
Prosecutors said Raymer was also ordered to pay $17,897 to Special Olympics Illinois, where he was employed after he no longer worked for the school district.Â
Wire fraud carries a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors said the government agreed to recommend a sentence in the applicable advisory Sentencing Guidelines range.Â
The investigation into Raymer was conducted by Farmer City police with the full cooperation of the Blue Ridge school district. The district had referred the matter to law enforcement.Â
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass is prosecuting the case.Â
