SKILLMAN: Local businessman pleads guilty to defrauding investors

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A businessman from Skillman accused of defrauding investors in his company of $1.5 million pleaded guilty last week to a federal wire fraud charge, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman’s office said.
Rostyslaw Mykytyn, 56, ran Washington state-based RGM Management Co. that did business as Campbell Co. Inc., a provider of sales representatives services to another company, Mr. Fishman’s office said. In federal charging documents, he was accused of duping about 16 investors into buying a minority ownership of Campbell “on the basis of fraudulent financial statements and by diverting a portion of that investment to himself to pay for personal expenses.”
Those documents said he had sent the investors false company financial statements, “including false sales commission invoices from a supposed client showing sales in excess of $4 million, of which approximately $472,720 would be due to Campbell.”
Authorities said the investors had wired him about $1.5 million to buy stock in the company.
A federal grand jury last June handed up an indictment charging him with five counts of wire fraud, all from transactions that had occurred between April and May 2010. Each offense carried up to 20 years in prison.
Mr. Mykytyn pleaded guilty Feb.19 to one count of wire fraud. He is free on $250,000 bond pending his sentencing on June 1. His punishment, including restitution and prison sentence, will be determined then, said Matthew Reilly, a spokesman for Mr. Fishman, on Thursday.
David E. Schafer, Mr. Mykytyn’s defense lawyer, had no comment Thursday.