A judge in Las Vegas has sentenced a mail fraud offender to 51 months behind bars.
A Las Vegas man was sent to prison this week for a deceitful mass-mailing scam that targeted numerous elderly victims.
Edgar Del Rio, 56, was sentenced in federal court on Monday after admitting guilt to conspiring to commit mail fraud.
Del Rio led a printing and mailing business that played a role in the scam. Along with others, he printed and sent millions of fake prize notifications, as per federal prosecutors.
The victims were tricked into thinking they could receive a considerable reward if they paid $20 or $25. After participating in the scam, they received additional fraudulent mailings.
Long-running Deception
This multi-year plot, which ran from 2010 to 2018, earned Del Rio and his accomplices millions of dollars.
In 2018, the Department of Justice obtained a court order shutting down the scam, and Del Rio was subsequently investigated.
Nevada's U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson remarked in a statement, "We are fully holding Del Rio accountable for his role in this long-running fraud scheme, where millions of dollars were stolen from thousands of elderly victims. Working alongside the Consumer Protection Branch and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, we will pursue and shut down perpetrators who target vulnerable individuals for financial advantages and bring them to justice."
U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group Inspector-in-Charge Eric Shen also cautioned the public against responding to prize-winning letters, adding "If you must pay money to obtain a prize, then it's most likely a scam."
Further Sentencings
Prior to this, three individuals had pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud in the same case. They were Patti Kern, 66, of Henderson, Nevada; Andrea Burrow, 53, of Las Vegas; and Sean O'Connor, 54, also of Las Vegas.
Three more defendants were found guilty after a jury trial. They included Mario Castro, 55, of Las Vegas, who was sentenced to 20 years, Miguel Castro, 58, of Las Vegas, who was given 19 years and six months, and Jose Luis Mendez, 49, of Henderson, who received a 14-year sentence.
The entire scheme allegedly swindled victims out of over $10 million.
The scammers attempted to conceal their actions, going as far as rebranding the companies they used and employing straw owners, prosecutors noted. However, they were still indicted in 2019.
The ringleaders of the scheme consisted of several entities, such as Imperial Award Services, Assets Unlimited, Pacific Disbursement Reporting, Special Money Managers, Price Awards, and Money Securities, according to the Associated Press.
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Source: www.casino.org
