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Published on October 05, 2024
Colorado Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Role in $300 Million Telemarketing Fraud Targeting SeniorsSource: Google Street View

A Colorado man has been sentenced to a hefty eight years in prison for his involvement in a massive $300 million telemarketing fraud scheme that primarily preyed on the elderly, detailed an announcement by U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. The scheme, which spanned across the nation, defrauded over 150,000 victims, many among our society's most vulnerable souls. Amondo Antoine Miller, a 48-year-old Littleton local, was implicated in deceiving consumers—many of whom possessed existing magazine subscriptions—and falsely offering to renew these subscriptions at what was promised to be a reduced rate.

According to court documentation and evidence laid out during the trial that has been reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Miller worked with numerous other defendants beginning as far back as 2000, selling fabricated subscription packages that victims neither needed nor could often afford. The scheme's unraveling came after a tireless investigation led by the United States Postal Inspection Service alongside the FBI, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), painting a clear picture of a well-crafted deception.

During the sentencing on November 6, 2023, Miller faced conviction by a federal jury for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail, and wire fraud, and yesterday Judge John R. Tunheim of the U.S. District Court handed down the sentence. Having operated under the guile of legitimacy, victims were billed by up to ten companies at once and faced over $1,000 in monthly charges for magazines they never intended to receive. Judge Tunheim remarked on the case, highlighting its gravity by calling it "the largest elder fraud case in the nation," an unfortunate accolade for any criminal endeavor.

This landmark case marks the first in Minnesota to employ the Senior Citizens Against Marketing Scams Act of 1994, promising harsher penalties for those convicted of exploiting the elderly through mail or wire fraud in connection to telemarketing tactics. Miller now faces 96 months behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release—a consequence of his deliberate actions targeting an often defenseless demographic.