A Montana man has pleaded guilty to defrauding an Australian company out of $567,000 in a plea agreement that recommends he serve between six and 18 months in prison.

The Billings Gazette reports 45-year-old Dalton Allan Hallgren pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters scheduled sentencing for Aug. 4.

Federal prosecutors alleged Hallgren lied about having a degree in petroleum engineering when he was hired as the CEO of Central Petroleum Limited in November 2011. He also did not disclose that four months earlier he incorporated a business called Alpha Oilfield Services in Montana.

Hallgren was charged with causing Alpha to invoice Central for $567,000 to pay for oilfield equipment that Central never received. Charging documents alleged Hallgren transferred $80,000 to his personal use.

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