Three Men to Appeal Lengthy Prison Sentences for $10 Million Prize Scam
Three men in Nevada have decided to challenge their long federal prison sentences after being convicted of running a scheme that tricked elderly and vulnerable individuals out of more than $10 million over eight years.
Last Friday, Mario Castro, aged 55 from Las Vegas, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Miguel Castro, aged 58, also from Las Vegas, received over 19 years. Jose Luis Mendez, aged 49 from Henderson, was sentenced to 14 years. These sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, Jason Frierson.
In April, a jury found these three men guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and multiple counts of mail fraud, according to a statement made by Frierson on Monday.
Appeal in the Works
Attorneys for the men, including William Brown for Mendez, Joshua Tomsheck for Mario Castro, and Lucas Gaffney for Miguel Castro, stated that their clients continue to claim their innocence and are planning to appeal their convictions and sentences.
Several other residents in the Las Vegas area had previously admitted to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with this case, as per Frierson’s statement.
The Deceptive Mailings
The fraudulent mailings seemed to come from corporate-sounding entities like Imperial Award Services, Assets Unlimited, Pacific Disbursement Reporting, Special Money Managers, Price Awards, and Money Securities, according to the indictment.
The defendants were charged in November 2019. Court records and trial evidence revealed that from 2010 until February 2018, the three men, along with several co-conspirators, printed and sent out millions of fake prize notifications. These notices encouraged victims to pay around $25 to claim a substantial cash prize, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jurors were informed that those who paid the fees did not receive any valuable prizes and often received more fraudulent notices. After numerous cease-and-desist orders, U.S. Postal Service inspectors conducted searches, and the Justice Department obtained a court order to shut down the operation.