Anthony Colon, Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud, Illinois 2023

Florida Man Sentenced for Role in $30 Million Telemarketing Scam

Anthony Colon, a 37-year-old resident of Riviera Beach, Florida, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in a telemarketing scam that victimized over 22,000 people, resulting in losses of $30 million.

The scheme, which operated in Florida, targeted timeshare owners across the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all ten Canadian provinces, including the Northwest Territory. Colon and his co-conspirators falsely represented that they had actual buyers for the owners’ timeshare property and solicited advanced fees of up to several thousand dollars in purported closing costs. However, the indictment alleged that these companies were not successful in selling a single timeshare unit and simply pocketed the closing costs.

Colon, who worked as a telemarketer for a Universal Marketing Solutions/Creative Vacation Solutions franchise in Palm Beach County, Florida, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. He was sentenced to 70 months in prison, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee.

According to the indictment, the scheme began in October 2007 and continued through at least January 2010. Approximately 24 others have been charged in connection with the Creative Vacation Solutions telemarketing scam, with the first being Jennifer Kirk, who pled guilty to a criminal Information on June 30, 2011. She was sentenced on January 9, 2012, to over 16 years in prison and five years supervised release.

The prosecution follows an investigation by the St. Louis Field Office of the Chicago Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Boynton Beach Florida Police Department. The prosecution of the case was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Lewis and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Reppert.

In total, over 22,000 victims were bilked out of $30 million in the telemarketing scam, with at least 54 victims in twenty-eight counties within the Southern District of Illinois.

The case serves as a reminder of the importance of being cautious when dealing with unsolicited calls and the need for vigilance in protecting against these types of scams.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/florida-man-sentenced-role-30-million-telemarketing-scam-victimized-over-22000-people-2