ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis County man admitted on Wednesday to defrauding 40 Lowe's business customers of more than $1 million in a bank fraud conspiracy.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Eastern District of Missouri, 44-year-old Michael W. Burrus pleaded guilty in front of a judge to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of bank fraud, which he acknowledged caused a total loss of $1.6 million.
Burrus admitted that he and others obtained stolen information from Lowe's business customers from April 2020 through November 2021, including names, phone numbers, addresses and credit card account numbers.
Burrus then used the credit card accounts to apply for additional credit cards and changed the accounts' mailing addresses, the U.S. Attorney's office said. He made purchases without the businesses' knowledge or consent, and he and others charged more than $1 million worth of merchandise to 40 businesses.
Burrus' sentencing is scheduled for June 29, with each charge carrying a potential penalty of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both. He will also be ordered to repay the defrauded money.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service.
