INDIANAPOLIS — A judge sentenced a 58-year-old Indianapolis man to seven and a half years in prison for wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion after he was found and arrested in Utah.
According to court documents, Jody Russell Trapp was a bookkeeper for Shelton Machinery, Inc., a Fishers-based distributor of advanced machines, drill-tap machines, production saws, and band saws, from July 2009 through December 2011.
Court documents say Trapp stole more than $2.2 million from Shelton Machinery by diverting checks made payable to one of the company's suppliers into his personal bank account. Trapp then prepared fake or duplicate invoices for work that had already been billed and paid, as well as checks to pay the fake or duplicate invoices.
Trapp was arrested in January 2012 and later pleaded guilty in November 2012.
A change of plea and sentencing hearing was scheduled for March 7, 2013, but two weeks prior, Trapp left his home, where he'd been ordered by the court to remain while on pretrial release.
Trapp's whereabouts were unknown until 2021, when Deputy U.S. Marshals found him living in Utah under another name, Abram Hochstelter, and working as an electrician for Chipping Electric.
According to deputies, Trapp cofounded Treasure Finders, a free, local app that combines geocaching with scavenger hunts, and was widely known as "Admiral Abram the pirate," where he often dressed up as part of the scheduled treasure hunts.
Trapp was arrested in October 2021 and taken back to Indiana to face the still-pending charges.
Trapp pleaded guilty to the criminal charges on July 19, 2022.
As part of the sentencing, Trapp will serve three years on probation following his release and must pay more than $2.5 million in restitution to his victims.
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