William Eric Fulton, a 59-year-old man from Agoura Hills, pleaded guilty to making false statements at the end of July 2023. According to his plea agreement, Fulton agreed to pay a fine of no less than $673,290 and is facing the statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

Entertainment Industry Accountant Pleads Guilty

Fulton's plea agreement states that he and his company provided a former minor-league baseball player, Wayne Joseph Nix, with bookkeeping, accounting, and tax preparation services. The plea agreement continues by asserting that around 2011, Fulton became aware that Nix had been running (and would continue to run) an illegal gambling business.

Fulton admits to knowingly laundering the money Nix made from this illegal business by continuing to transfer money between accounts, issuing checks and wires to Nix's clients, and helping Nix get bank loans for the gambling business. He also stated that he provided Nix with personal loans totaling $1.25 million when Nix needed to deliver payouts to his clients quickly. Not only did Fulton charge Nix $335,645 for these services, but he also placed bets with Nix's bookmaking business.

Federal law enforcement began investigating Nix and his business in October 2020. When interviewed in 2021, Fulton lied and maintained that he was completely unaware that his services were being used in an illegal business and that he had never placed any bets with it.

How an Experienced Attorney Can Help

In federal cases that involve charges of false statements, the prosecutor must prove that your statement was materially false, that you knowingly and willingly made the false statement, and that the statement was made about something within the government's jurisdiction. To combat such accusations, an experienced attorney will work diligently to prove you did not know the statement was false, it was an illegal interrogation, or it was not something that fell within federal jurisdiction.

If you or someone you love has been accused of the federal crime of making false statements, Attorney Vitaly Sigal of Sigal Law Group can help. Call 818-325-0571 today or schedule a free consultation online.