(Radio Iowa) – An eastern Iowa man has been sentenced to three years in prison for postage fraud. In March, 43-year-old Bradley Jon Matheny was found guilty in March of postage meter forgery and counterfeiting connected to an eBay business he ran out of his home in Marion. Matheny shipped his goods via the U.S. Postal Service. Prosecutors say by altering numbers, Matheny able to pay First Class rates, but the packages were routed through the quicker and more expensive Priority Mail system. A Postal Service inspector estimates the scheme saved Matheny about 380-thousand dollars in postage from 2013 to 2017.

Matheny has been ordered to pay the U.S. Postal Service more than a quarter of a million dollars in restitution. Matheny was also convicted of making false statements on customs forms, claiming packages he was sending to Russia, Israel and other countries were inexpensive gifts rather than merchandise that had been purchased by the recipient of the package. The move meant the packages weren’t subject to taxes.