Prison sentence announced for Salisbury man convicted of wire fraud conspiracy

SALISBURY, Md. – A Salisbury man has been sentenced to over two years in federal prison for a wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in connection to the theft of more than $1.8 million from Shore Appliance Connection.

According to his plea agreement, from mid-September 2016 through about March 2020, Duane Larmore conspired with others to steal more than $1.8 million from Shore Appliance Connection. Larmore was an employee at the business and his duties included maintaining the books and records for the company.

Larmore and Stephen Franklin stole over $1 million from the business to use for their own purposes, including to make investments and to pay business expenses for Franklin’s businesses without the knowledge and consent of the owners of Shore Appliance. Franklin introduced Larmore to an individual who offered an opportunity to invest in an oil deal that promised quick and substantial returns for an initial investment of $100,000. Franklin did not have the money, but knew that Larmore could obtain the funds from Shore Appliance. Larmore then wire transferred $100,000 of Shore Appliance’s money to an account controlled by Franklin, who then wire transferred the funds to an individual in the United Kingdom to invest in the oil deal. The funds were returned to Shore Appliance because the name on the bank account did not match the named beneficiary on the wire transfer form completed by Franklin. Before the funds were returned, Larmore transferred another $100,000 to T.H., purportedly an attorney for the oil deal.

Larmore has been sentenced to a total of 30 months in federal prison. Franklin was sentenced earlier this year to more than five years in federal prison.