Man Expected To Plead Guilty In Telemarketing Scam
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A 39-year-old man is scheduled to plead guilty Monday in Mississippi in a telemarketing scam that allegedly targeted senior citizens around the country, telling them they had won cash prizes but had to pay taxes and fees to claim the money.
Prosecutors say the scam netted tens of thousands of dollars from victims in California, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Vermont. Some of the money made its way to Mississippi.
Court records said George Coe Jr. is scheduled to plead guilty Monday in federal court in Aberdeen. He is charged with conspiracy and wire fraud, and would be the seventh person to plead guilty in the case.
His attorney, Whitman D. Mounger, said only that his client "decided it's in his best interest" to plead guilty.
The eight people arrested last year by the FBI included men and women from Georgia, Illinois and Tennessee.
One of them, Jarvis Jones, is scheduled for sentencing Monday before U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock, the judge scheduled to preside over Coe's change of plea hearing earlier in the day.
Authorities said the scam began with a call to tell victims they had won a large cash prize. The victims then were told to wire money to cover fees and taxes on the supposed prize. The money was often shifted around the country by members of the scheme.
The scam usually got about $2,800 to $2,900 per payment; five people paid more than once, according to a 13-count indictment. A woman in California allegedly sent more than $12,000 in three payments.
Timothy Allen is the only defendant who has not pleaded guilty or signaled plans to do so.
Prosecutors filed a motion Friday saying they intend to introduce evidence that Allen has a criminal record dating back to the 1990s, with arrests ranging from giving a false name to a law enforcement officer to criminal solicitation.
His attorney, Gregory S. Park, did not answer a message left Friday.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
