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Feds say Bucks couple ran prison textbook scam

Scholars in Print shipped unordered textbooks to prisons and demanded payment

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The U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia on Tuesday filed a civil complaint against a Bucks County couple alleging that they tried to scam federal prisons into buying textbooks they had not ordered.

The government also filed a joint motion asking a federal judge to approve an agreement with John Paul Ryan and Mary Motz Ryan in which the couple would pay a civil penalty of $75,689 for violating the False Claims Act and promise not to market products to any federal agency through unsolicited telemarketing or communications.

The complaint alleges that the couple's telemarketing company, Scholars in Print, attempted to sell textbooks for prison libraries throughout the country. In most cases the facilities declined, but were shipped the books anyway. Unpaid bills were sent to collection agencies.

On at least one occasion, John Paul Ryan identified himself as Edward Teach, the real name of Blackbeard the pirate, the complaint alleges. Ryan told investigators he used the name to avoid identifying who he really was.