Federal prosecutors say a 36-year-old Topsham man has pleaded guilty to mail fraud connected to a scheme about phony electrical work.

Court records say Brian Lafrance sought to fraudulently obtain $6,383 by claiming he was owed the money for electrical work he performed at a Portland residence. Prosecutors say he had never worked on the residence and was owed no money. They say Lafrance mailed claims to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albany, New York, and to the U.S. District Courthouse in Syracuse, New York, with a claim that the residence was subject of federal forfeiture proceedings.

Lafrance faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He could also face three years of supervised release.


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