MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Michel Poirier, 60, Montreal, Canada,  was sentenced on June 10, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 3 years in federal prison for mail fraud. Poirier pleaded guilty to this charge on March 20, 2026, following his extradition from Canada. 

Between 2011 and May 2016, operating out of Canada, Poirier orchestrated a mass marketing fraud scheme that targeted printing companies and consumers in the United States, including the Western District of Wisconsin, resulting in a loss to victims of more than $1.2 million.

Using aliases, Poirier contacted printing companies in the U.S., representing that he was working for direct mail companies looking for United States suppliers to handle mass mailings of brochures. After the victim printing companies incurred costs for printing and mailing the brochures, the companies received business checks from Poirier that drew on either closed accounts or accounts with insufficient funds. When the victim printing companies sought alternative forms of payment, Poirier stopped answering emails and telephone calls.