Michel Dean Kent, a defendant in one of the Western District of Virginia’s key elder fraud cases, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a sweeping timeshare scam that bilked more than 500 victims—many of them elderly. Kent used cold calls and deceptive emails to trick owners into signing over property transfer contracts and wiring money under false pretenses, according to U.S. District Court records in Harrisonburg.
The case against Kent is part of the Justice Department’s largest coordinated crackdown on elder fraud in history—an operation targeting more than 250 defendants across the globe who exploited over a million Americans, most of them seniors. The schemes, spanning mass mailing, telemarketing, investment fraud, and identity theft, resulted in losses exceeding $500 million. Two hundred defendants, including Kent, were criminally charged in federal courts across the country.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions framed the sweep as a federal declaration of war on financial predators. “When criminals steal the hard-earned life savings of older Americans, we will respond with all the tools at the Department’s disposal,” Sessions said, announcing criminal prosecutions, civil injunctions, and asset forfeiture actions taken in tandem with the FTC and state Attorneys General.
In a parallel case also prosecuted by the Western District of Virginia, Linda Jane Hall was indicted in October 2017 on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The indictment alleges Hall cold-called four elderly victims between 2009 and 2015, convincing them to wire her a total of $457,000. Hall is scheduled to face a jury trial in March 2018.
U.S. Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle, overseeing the Western District’s prosecutions, called elder fraud a “particularly heinous crime” that preys on society’s most vulnerable. “These frauds come in many forms, from financial frauds to romance schemes, but all weave the common thread of preying on the elderly,” Mountcastle said, highlighting collaboration with local elder fraud task forces to detect and dismantle emerging threats.
The nationwide sweep underscores the growing sophistication of elder-targeted schemes—some orchestrated by transnational criminal networks, others carried out by trusted relatives or guardians. Prosecutors in Virginia and beyond emphasize that today’s actions mark only the beginning of a broader enforcement push, with federal, state, and international coordination aimed at shutting down fraud rings before they can strike again.
Related Federal Cases
- Lindsay Kneff Indicted in $255K Real Estate Fraud Scheme · Washington
- DC Man Pleads Guilty to $1.9M Fraud Scheme · Washington
- Brandon J. Black Pleads Guilty in $630K Tax Fraud Scheme · West Virginia
- Morgantown Insurance Agent Robert Altmann Sentenced in Fraud Scheme · West Virginia
- St. Albans Man Pleads Guilty to Pain Pill Fraud Scheme · West Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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