A former Western New York resident was sentenced to probation after being convicted of perjury related to testimony given during a federal fraud trial.
Michael W. Luehrsen, 41, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to three years of probation.
Luehrsen was also ordered to pay approximately $2 million in restitution and forfeit about $2 million in assets, including investments and real estate proceeds.
Prosecutors said Luehrsen testified under oath during a February 2022 jury trial in federal court in the Western District of New York.
During the testimony, Luehrsen told the jury he was not in Buffalo on June 27, 2014, and July 11, 2014, when certain prescription forms were faxed.
He testified that he was in California on June 27 and in Boston on July 11.
“I have photographs from my phone showing me in those particular cities,” Luehrsen said during the trial.
Investigators later determined the testimony was false.
Evidence from Luehrsen’s cellphone showed photographs confirming he was in Buffalo on July 11, 2014. Telephone and financial records also placed him in Buffalo on that date.
The location was relevant to the trial because prosecutors were determining whether Luehrsen was present in Buffalo when an altered compound prescription form was faxed from his father’s home.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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