A Cocke County man made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court Thursday on charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal probation officer.

Robert Ray Sayne, 32, of New Cave Road, Newport, had been named in a two-county indictment returned by a federal grand jury that met in Greeneville on Oct. 14.

The indictment alleged that Sayne "did knowingly and willfully make, or use, material false writings and documents by present to the United States Probation Office false monthly supervision reports and false earnings statements."

Sayne is accused of having "devised and executed a scheme to defraud First Data Merchant Services of money and property."

The indictment said that as part of the scheme to defraud, Sayne "gained control and use of debit cards and stored value cards in his name and in the names of others."

The government seeks to have Sayne forfeit property valued at up to $40,650 that is alleged to have been purchased with the proceeds of the alleged wire-fraud scheme.