SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Marco Antonio Ramirez Zuno, 32, of Cancun, Mexico, faced the music as he pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in relation to a timeshare resale fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.
According to court documents, between 2011 and 2012, Zuno and his cronies orchestrated a scam from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They conned customers into believing they could resell their timeshares through the Platinum Access Program or World Luxury Destinations. Co-defendant Juan Montalbo, also known as John Monte, was part of the sales team that convinced victims to invest.
Upon returning home, the duped consumers were contacted by Wayne York, who posed as representatives from Property Marketing Group or Eagle Market Solution. York promised to find buyers for their timeshares and demanded upfront payments to be wired to Mexican bank accounts under false pretenses. The scammers vanished after receiving the money.
York and Ramirez Zuno managed the fraud from end-to-end, with Ramirez Zuno supervising the Mexican bank accounts and training others in the art of deception. Montalbo and York remain free on bond, with a court date set for June 6, 2017.
The FBI led the investigation into this fraudulent scheme, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew G. Morris is now prosecuting. Ramirez Zuno has been locked up since his April 14, 2016, arrest in Miami, Florida. Sentencing is scheduled for June 27, 2017, with a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine hanging over him.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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