Chesco man pleads guilty in telemarketing scheme
A Chester County man pleaded guilty in federal court in Philadelphia Thursday to charges of fraud and money laundering in a telemarketing scheme that bilked tens of thousands of senior citizens out of more than $13 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
A Chester County man pleaded guilty in federal court in Philadelphia Thursday to charges of fraud and money laundering in a telemarketing scheme that bilked tens of thousands of senior citizens out of more than $13 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Marc Roy Ferry, 35, of Downingtown, is to be sentenced June 22 before U.S. District Judge Gerald McHugh.
According to court documents, between 2009 and March 2014, Ferry, along with a Canadian named Ari Tietolman, and others used Tietolman's network of telemarketers in Canada and India to target American senior citizens with deceptive telemarketing calls, prosecutors said.
Tietolman, who was indicted in August 2014 on fraud and money-laundering charges, is currently a fugitive, according to his court docket. He tried to conceal his involvement in the scheme by employing Ferry and others to run "front" companies, prosecutors said.
In pleading guilty, Ferry admitted that Tietolman paid him and others to create and run the front companies.
Using business names such as Fraud Watch, Patient Assistance Plus, Legal Eye and Trust One, they sold worthless or nonexistent services, such as fraud protection and discounted legal services, and a discount prescription card, and then debited the victims' bank accounts without their informed consent, prosecutors said.
Ferry, who is not in custody, was charged last month by a process called criminal information, rather than indictment, which indicated that he was expected to plead guilty.
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