Boasting, Lavish Living Fraudster Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison After Talking To Media – eCrimeBytes Nibble #32

Robert De Niro in Goodfellas said that when you pull a big score you do not go buy anything big or show off your new money.

J. Nicholas Bryant did not follow that advice.

“Things went pretty rough today,” Bryant told The Daily Beast via jail-house text message hours after his sentencing. “I’m extremely upset about how things [went] down today.”
J. Nicholas Bryant via jail house text messages

You would think a bad outcome (14 years, 5 more years than in the guidelines) would not be a shock if you are talking to The Daily Beast and admitting to your crimes before you are sentenced…

Bryant, who has remained in custody since his December 2021 arrest, said that one reason for his prison sentence was his decision to exclusively speak to The Daily Beast last November—where he admitted that all the allegations against him “are pretty much true.”

“I took private jets and stayed at the most expensive Airbnbs and hotels. Went deep sea fishing and toured everything that was possible,” Bryant previously said, before stressing numerous times his remorse. “By far my most favorite trip was to [Turks] and Caicos. I spent two weeks on the island from fishing to sailing yachts. I stayed in a $30,000-a-night house. It was amazing.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/texas-grifter-j-nicholas-bryant-041102482.html

From a technical aspect, it sounds like J. Nicholas Bryant used a version of modern kiting to trick his victims out of $1.2 million:

In many instances, Mr. Bryant manipulated online payment platforms like QuickBooks and Veem to make it appear that payments were forthcoming. Knowing that the software would generate payment confirmations immediately but would take several days to notify victims of cancelled payments, Mr. Bryant satisfied vendors and business owners that payments were forthcoming when due, he admitted in plea papers. The payments never funded.

In all, he defrauded and attempted to defraud victims of more than $3.5 million, and successfully racked up nearly $1.2 million in actual losses to the victims, prosecutors said at Thursday’s sentencing hearing.

In one fraud scheme, Mr. Bryant convinced small businesses to front money and equipment to reopen an oil well. In the process, he exploited the trust of former colleagues, friends, and acquaintances who worked in the West Texas oil and gas industry, where business is often conducted with a handshake, the government said. In several others, he defrauded small business owners who were eager for business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/26-year-old-fraudster-sentenced-14-years-prison-following-boasts-about-criminal

If you want to hear more about kiting, check out our eCrimeBytes episodes:

Full eCrimeBytes episode:

The Boasting Fraudster J. Nicholas Bryant – Act 1: Meet Mr. Bryant

The Boasting Fraudster J. Nicholas Bryant – Act 2: Bryant Pleads Guilty

The Boasting Fraudster J. Nicholas Bryant – Act 3: Bryant Talks To The Media

The Boasting Fraudster J. Nicholas Bryant – Act 4: The Sentencing Hearing

The Boasting Fraudster J. Nicholas Bryant – Act 5: Sentencing