A Montreal man who defrauded thousands of U.S. businesses over five years through a fraudulent telemarketing program has been sentenced to 30 months in prison in the United States and is required to repay at least $ 1.4 million to his victims.
Can we read in a document from the Northern District Court of California, along with other accomplices, that Athanasios Valucos, 48, was involved in his widespread fraud on Tuesday?
Their trick is very simple: from a call center operating in Canada, fraudsters contact small American businesses and deceive them into believing that they have ordered a service to improve their online presence.
In fact, these services do not exist, as one mentions in the summary of the judgment.
$ 3 million was withdrawn
Over a five-year period, thousands of companies still paid nearly $ 500 for these imaginary services.
Thus, a resident of the Saint-Laurent metropolis in Montreal, along with his associates, fraudulently collected more than $ 3 million.
Victims mailed their checks to mailboxes in the United States.
Most checks were paid into Canadian bank accounts.
Repay the victims
When he pleaded guilty in January 2020, Voulugos promised to pay at least $ 1.4 million in compensation to companies involved in the scheme.
However, the court on Tuesday ordered a hearing on Oct. 8 to determine the total repayment he owes.
In addition to his 30-month prison sentence for conspiracy to commit postal fraud, he will be subject to a three-year probation period after his release from the Montreal Detention Center.
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