Ad
Featured
Federal judge sentences Roswell man to 46 months
Published
Modified
The former owner of a Roswell escrow company was sentenced by a federal judge Monday to 46 months in prison for defrauding clients of an estimated $1.2 million, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico.
Christopher Jansen-Tanner, 44, used his position as owner of Roswell Escrow Services Inc. to illegally direct funds belonging to his customers to his personal use, according to a 2022 indictment by a federal grand jury.
In April, Jansen-Tanner pleaded guilty to two felony counts included in the original 38-count indictment.
U.S. District Judge Margaret I. Strickland sentenced Jansen-Tanner on Thursday to 46 months in prison on each count, with the terms to run concurrently. He had faced up to 20 years under the plea agreement.
Jansen-Tanner pleaded guilty to wire fraud and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions, according to the plea agreement.
In connection with those two counts, Jansen-Tanner admitted making personal purchases from his company's account to pay $53,000 to "Living Reflections, LLC, Luxury Rehabilitations" and $19,500 to a Roswell jewelry store.
Jansen-Tanner purchased the Roswell Escrow Services in 2013. Under law, the company could hold proceeds from the sale of real property in escrow on behalf of clients for up to 180 days, the indictment said.
For nearly a two-year period, Jansen-Tanner used those funds to make personal purchases or to deposit money directly to his own checking account, the indictment said.
