News

Actions

Man pleads guilty in fraud case where pair impersonated LDS Church officials

Posted at 2:55 PM, Oct 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-20 16:56:59-04

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man has pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with a scheme where he and another man defrauded investors by posing as representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Alan McKee pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and unlawful activity, and both felony counts could net as much as 15 years in prison.

McKee and Gary Andersonallegedly defrauded a construction company and two individuals out of about $1.2 million between July 2013 and October of 2015, according to the Utah Attorney General’s Office.

Mckee allegedly sent letters to the construction company that purportedly came from the LDS Church in connection with construction on a site in Elberta. Anderson is accused of making at least one phone call where he posed as a LDS Church official while speaking with an employee of the construction company.

The pair allegedly induced two other victims to invest in a scheme to purchase excess farm equipment.

McKee is sentenced to be scheduled in Third District Court on November 28.

Anderson appears in court next on October 28 for a scheduling conference regarding his pending trial.