Man Pleads Guilty to $1.3 Million Fraud Schemes and Receipt of Child Pornography

“Gordon Miller’s extensive fraudulent scheme exacted a heavy financial and emotional toll on his victims,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “In addition, Miller undermined the federal procurement process, and even more appalling, he further victimized the vulnerable children depicted in hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse by inexcusably receiving those materials online and collecting them at his home.”

According to court documents, Gordon G. Miller III, 56, was the sole owner and operator of G3 Systems, Inc., a software engineering company, and G3i Ventures, LLC, purportedly a venture capital company. Starting around 2017, Miller began to engage in overlapping fraud schemes to prevent his companies from going out of business and to maintain his lifestyle in the absence of legitimate income.

One scheme involved the solicitation of contacts in an online question-and-answer forum, where Miller falsely represented himself as an entrepreneur with a significant net worth, multiple advanced degrees, and expertise investing in technology companies. Between 2017 and 2018, through various misrepresentations, Miller fraudulently obtained approximately $1 million from at least ten individuals through this scheme.

Another fraud entailed the diversion of a federal subcontract to G3 Systems, which he obtained using misrepresentations regarding his educational experience. Once he secured the subcontract, Miller submitted fraudulent timesheets and invoices to obtain more than $300,000 in payments from the prime contractor. Between 2018 and 2019, Miller took checks he received from the contractor to a check-cashing store in Richmond to convert the proceeds of the contract-fraud scheme to cash.

During the investigation of the above-described fraud schemes, federal agents obtained a search warrant for Miller’s residence. During the preliminary examination of devices seized from Miller’s home, agents discovered child sexual abuse material. After the execution of a search warrant targeting such material, agents discovered more than 700 images or videos constituting child pornography, including images or videos Miller obtained between August 2017 and September 2020.

Miller is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14. For the wire fraud and unlawful monetary transaction offenses, he faces maximum penalties of 20 years and 10 years in prison, respectively. For the receipt of child pornography offense, he faces a five-year mandatory minimum and a maximum term of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher R. Derrickson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Lee Martin and Kevin Elliker are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-109.