CEDAR RAPIDS – A man who defrauded retailers by switching UPC codes on consumer products was sentenced today to more than one year in federal prison.
Jeremy J. Fishnick, age 27, from Lancaster, Wisconsin, received the prison term after a July 1, 2013, guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.
In a plea agreement, Fishnick admitted that, between at least July 2012 and November 20, 2012, he using home computer equipment and a printer to create fraudulent UPC codes on adhesive labels. He then entered retail stores and covered real UPC codes on higher-priced models of certain products using the fraudulent UPC codes he created. In so doing, Fishnick caused the items to reflect substantially lower prices when electronically scanned at checkout. Fishnick admitted fraudulently purchasing products from stores in, at least, Dubuque, Iowa, Maquoketa, Iowa, Anamosa, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Coralville, Iowa, Monticello, Iowa, and Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. Fishnick also admitted his scheme caused a loss to retailers of more than $30,000. Fishnick admitted that he sold or attempted to sell a substantial portion of the fraudulently-obtained items over the Internet.
Fishnick was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Fishnick was sentenced to fourteen months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. A special assessment of $100 was imposed, and he was ordered to make $33,632.74 in restitution to victim retailers. The restitution amount included $9,912.75 to one retailer as compensation for costs incurred in investigating Fishnick’s offense. There is no parole in the federal system.
Fishnick was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on November 13, 2013.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter Deegan and was investigated by the Dubuque, Iowa, Police Department; the Maquoketa, Iowa, Police Department; the Anamosa, Iowa, Police Department; the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Police Department; the Coralville, Iowa, Police Department; the Monticello, Iowa, Police Department; the Vinton, Iowa, Police Department; the Lancaster, Wisconsin, Police Department; and the Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, Police Department.
