GREENVILLE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that in federal court on August 9, 2017, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced WILLIAM ROBERT CANUPP, 58, from Richlands, N.C., to 42 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $731,180.00, for conspiracy to commit federal program fraud, wire fraud and tax fraud. CANUPP pled guilty to the charges on March 17, 2017.
From March 2010 to April 2013, CANUPP was the Chief Financial Officer for Eastpointe Human Services based in Beaulaville, North Carolina. CANUPP hired his co-defendant, Ronnie L. Davis, to perform personal construction services without taking bids for the renovation projects and did not have the completed work inspected or approved. Additionally, CANUPP created and submitted fraudulent invoices for the work Davis supposedly performed or for supplies and materials. Davis submitted personal checks to CANUPP
to purchase supplies for the construction work. Additionally, CANUPP committed tax fraud by not reporting the money he received from Davis on his tax returns. CANUPP used the embezzled funds to purchase an $80,000 boat, hunting equipment, fishing software, high-end video gaming systems, make mortgage payments for a beach house, make personal credit card payments, and for other personal matters.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the United States of Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG). The federal prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Ethan A. Ontjes.