Three Men held for Telemarketing Scam

On 14 September 2007, three men operating now-defunct telemarketing business, were charged with allegations to run a $75 Million Internet scam to deceive clients and potential customers.

Tyrone Barr, CEO and President of Golnternet.net Inc., Neal Saferstein, VP and Billy Light, CIO (Chief Information Officer) were found guilty in a 26 count central charge for scamming the users during March 2001 and April 2004. As per the charge, the telemarketers of Golnternet cheated the customers to pay for the Internet services asking them to take a greeting packet without letting them know that accepting that packet will be treated as a conformity to purchase the services of Golnternet.

Neal was charged for preventing the Golnternet customers from getting any notice which can reveal that they are being provided its services, defying a order of the court order which results from the lawsuit that FTC (Federal Trade Commission) had brought against Golnterent and Neal in 2000. The lawsuit charged Golnternet for offering people Internet services as well as for charging them without their knowledge.

Further, Neal is also accused for eight charges each of wire and mail fraud, four counts of filing false Tax returns, five counts of failing to give payroll taxes and one charge for making conspiracy to commit a perjury. He was also indicted for failing to offer any details for an unreported income $1.7 Million between 2004 and 2001 and not being able to pay almost $2.79 Million payroll of taxes. When found guilty for all this, he could be imprisoned for a maximum time of over 366 years and can be asked to pay a fine of maximum $4.72 Million.

The indictment also accuses Barr that he has made fraud tapes containing the calls between Golnternet and its customers in which, the customers had agreed to get services of Golnternet. It has also charged him of falsely testifying in a contempt hearing in the FTC action that several customers of Golnternet were accessing the company's mails accounts and Internet access.

Barr was held guilty for eight counts both of mail and wire fraud. A series of convictions can make him stand behind the bars for around 319 years and can ask him a fine of $3.99 Million. Billy, on the other hand, was caught with count for conspiracy to consign perjury only and is likely to get 5 years of imprisonment plus a fine of around $249,999.

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» SPAMfighter News - 9/27/2007