The United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana/Department of Justice recently announced that Nevada resident, Michael Jon Schofield, 76, was charged on Oct. 30 with misprision of a felony. The bill of information alleges that Schofield concealed wire fraud by emailing an art appraisal that misrepresented Schofield’s honest assessment of the appraised art’s value.
Misprision is punishable by up to three years imprisonment followed by up to one year of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, the attorney’s office release stated.
The United States Attorney’s Office reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge, and that the defendant’s guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.