June 9, 2025 – SACRAMENTO, CA – Justin Alexander Payne, 50, of Manteca, pleaded guilty on Thursday, June 5, 2025,
to one count of wire fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
Image by myshoun from Pixabay
According to court documents, from December 2017 to September 2023 Payne worked as an IT Director for a family-owned, independent fuel supplier, distributor, and retailer company in Modesto. As part of his scheme, Payne used his company-issued credit card to make unauthorized purchases of gift cards from multiple retailers. To convert the gift cards to cash, Payne sold the gift cards to online businesses that specialize in purchasing unwanted gift cards for less than the value of the cards. The online businesses conducted no less than 3,700 transactions in gift card purchases from Payne, which included subsequent payouts to Payne…