A Wood County resident has been sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding a Toledo-based technology company. Blake Underwood, 45, of Perrysburg, Ohio, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary after pleading guilty to wire fraud in May. In addition to his prison term, Underwood will serve three years of supervised release.
Court records indicate that Underwood was employed by Nemsys, LLC and later became its CEO when the business owners moved to Florida to focus on another venture. From December 2019 through April 2023, Underwood used company funds without authorization for personal expenses. According to court documents, he diverted money meant for revitalizing a historic Toledo property and instead purchased building supplies for his own home.
The scheme was uncovered in 2023 when Nemsys’ owners investigated the company’s financial underperformance and found that Underwood had used corporate funds for personal credit card payments, vehicles, golf club memberships, jewelry, and other items.
The FBI’s Toledo Field Office led the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Melching for the Northern District of Ohio.
“This investigation was conducted by the FBI Toledo Field Office prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Melching for the Northern District of Ohio.”
