PHOENIX, Ariz. – In a grim turn of justice, Brian Hopkins, 62, of Chandler, has been locked up for 21 months and ordered to pay over $1.8 million in restitution for his role in a massive telemarketing fraud scheme. Hopkins was sentenced on July 16 by Senior U.S. District Court Judge David G. Campbell after pleading guilty to mail fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and false statement on a tax return.
The scam, orchestrated by Hopkins along with Richard Kuhlmann, Jr., 58, of Tempe, and David Bartlett, 54, of Scottsdale, preyed on unsuspecting individuals who were promised reduced credit card interest rates through GTT Financial. What started as a fraudulent offer to lower interest rates turned into a sophisticated scheme where customers were asked to invest in non-existent ‘sales leads,’ leading them to believe they would profit significantly.
Between 2014 and 2019, the trio raised over $10 million from thousands of victims nationwide. Kuhlmann was sentenced on May 30, 2025, to 42 months in prison and $2,140,231 in restitution, while Bartlett received a 24-month sentence and more than $500,000 in restitution on November 24, 2024.
The fraudulent telemarketing company, GTT Financial, promised victims that each ‘sales lead’ represented another potential customer for their credit card debt service. However, the money collected from these investments went straight into the pockets of the co-conspirators and other employees, leaving victims with nothing but empty promises.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Phoenix Field Office led the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond Woo and Matthew Doyle handling the prosecution. The case numbers are CR-22-00221-PHX-DGC; CR-22-00276-PHX-SMB; CR-22-00562-PHX-MTL, and the release number is 2025-125_Hopkins.
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit here. Follow them on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest updates.
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Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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