A B.C. man could be handed a jail term of 167 years for operating a fraudulent lottery scheme that targeted the elderly in the U.S., according to the FBI
Henry Anekwu, 43, of Vancouver, the ringleader of the scheme, was convicted April 29th of 16 counts of fraud and faces a sentence hearing July 12.
The scheme involved telemarketers in Vancouver phoning unsuspecting elderly victims in the U.S. The victims would be told they had won a lottery, but before they could receive their winnings they had to first pay a fee to the telemarketer which would be disguised as tax, legal fees, banking fees, or transaction fees, RCMP Staff Sergeant Tim Olmstead, E Division Federal Commercial Crime Section said in a news release.
It's believed that unsuspecting victims handed over approximately $600,000 before Anekwu was arrested by RCMP Commercial Crime investigators in 2005, following a lengthy investigation by six
Canadian and American agencies. The accused was extradited to the U.S. in 2009 for trial in Los Angeles where evidence gathered by the RCMP, FBI and other agencies was presented.
This investigation was conducted under Project Emptor, a partnership between the "E" Division Federal Commercial Crime Section Telemarketing Task Force, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Los Angeles office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Competition Bureau Canada and Consumer Protection BC, that has been investigating cross-border mass marketing fraud since 1997.
The Anekwu investigation represents the success of this ongoing partnership. Cross border mass marketing fraud continues to be a priority of the RCMP "E" Division Federal Commercial Crime Section, said Olmstead who reminds the public that if someone presents an offer that sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
