O.C. Man, Son Plead Guilty in Senior Scam
An Orange County man and his son pleaded guilty on Monday of bilking senior citizens of thousands of dollars in a telemarketing scheme, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
John Scrivener, 44 of Santa Ana and his son Jade, 20, pleaded guilty in federal District Court in Los Angeles to nine counts of wire fraud in a scam that tricked senior citizens from around the country into mailing a total of $20,000 to mail drops in Costa Mesa, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The two posed as representatives of Publisher’s Clearing House and other prize distributors. The Scriveners told the victims that they had won a large cash prize that would be delivered upon receipt of advance payments as high as $12,000 for taxes, attorney and processing fees.
Scrivener, who was freed on bail, and his son, who is at Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, face up to 15 years in prison at their sentencing on July 13.
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