Naples man faces federal charges for alleged wire fraud scheme

NAPLES, Fla. —

A Naples man was federally indicted on wire fraud and money laundering charges on Monday.

According to the Department of Justice, Leonard W. Krane, 75, has been charged by indictment with four counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering.

If convicted, Krane faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also seeks that Krane forfeit over $3.7 million and other assets related to the offenses.

According to court records, between August 2017 and February 2025, Krane ran a scheme where he made false representations that he possessed substantial funds overseas and required upfront payments from victims to access those funds.

He told the victims that in exchange for wiring him money, which was often in the amount of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, they would receive significant returns once the overseas funds were recovered, according to court documents.

Krane never invested the funds, nor did he return money to the victims. Instead, he used it to fund his personal lifestyle or transferred it overseas. The total losses in the scheme exceed $3.7 million, the DOJ said.

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