Hanover appliance salesman pleads guilty to bank fraud, money laundering

Jennifer Wentz//December 9, 2016

Matthew Norris, 34, of Hanover owned an Aerus Electrolux franchise on York Street in Hanover. In 2011, he allegedly submitted 27 credit applications using his customers’ names and information without their consent and charged their accounts for fictional sales, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Norris allegedly made the monthly payments on the customers’ credit cards using the proceeds of the scam. Monthly statements were never sent to the customers because Norris listed his business address as their home address on the credit applications, according to court documents.

The scheme netted Norris $157,785, but an Electrolux executive discovered the fraud in October 2011 during an onsite audit of the business.

A public defender assigned to Norris’s case could not be reached for comment Friday.

GE Bank, where he submitted the false applications, refunded the affected customers, and Norris agreed to repay the bank as part of his plea agreement this week, according to the release.

The court has not yet set a date for his sentencing.

Aerus Electrolux is a home appliance chain that specializes in vacuums and air purifiers. It has more than 500 franchises in the U.S. and Canada.

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