Timeshare Advocates
RJD Recovery Group, Inc.About
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- Pending Government Action:Government Action: BBB reports on known government actions involving business’ marketplace conduct:United States vs William O"Hanlon et al. Case number 23-257 D NJ
As of April 4, 2023
CAMDEN, N.J. – Seven people have been charged for their participation
in a telemarketing scheme to defraud timeshare owners over the age of
55, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.William O’Hanlon, 58, and his wife Karen Stefanowski, 60, of Miami,
Florida, James Toner, 41, of Lake Mary, Florida, and William Chiusano
Jr., 48, of Laguna Niguel, California, are each charged in a 13-count
indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and
multiple counts of wire fraud. O’Hanlon is additionally charged with
three counts of tax evasion and one count of theft of government monies.
O’Hanlon, Stefanowski and Toner were arrested today, made their initial
appearances in federal court in Florida, and were released on bail.Alex Klemash, 30, of Williamstown, New Jersey, Michael Lambe, 43, of
Mullica Hill, New Jersey, and La’Tresa Jackson, 57, of Lindenwold, New
Jersey, pleaded guilty on March 8, 9, and 13, 2023, respectively, before
U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to
related informations charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud
in connection with the telemarketing scheme.According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
The wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges arise out of the
defendants’ alleged participation in a timeshare fraud scheme operated
through businesses Williams Andrews Burns LLC, Resort BnB Inc., and
Williams & Burns Inc., collectively referred to as “WAB.”From October 2016 through October 2020, the defendants and additional
conspirators engaged in a scheme to financially enrich themselves by
selling fraudulent services offered through WAB to timeshare owners,
including offering to rent or buy the owners’ timeshares under false and
fraudulent pretenses or representations, and offering to recover monies
timeshare owners had previously paid in connection with other scams.
The conspirators obtained lists of timeshare owners and their contact
information, and cold-called them to pitch their various services in
return for upfront fees.The conspirators made numerous false and misleading statements to the
timeshare owners, including falsely stating that the timeshare owners
had “bonus” timeshare weeks which WAB would rent for them in return for
an upfront fee, and falsely guaranteeing thousands of dollars in rental
income for the timeshare owners. Once the timeshare owners had signed up
and paid their fees for the phony rental services, the conspirators
also generally pitched collections/recovery services, offering to obtain
refunds of monies previously paid by the timeshare owners in other
fraudulent scams, in return for fees. The conspirators made numerous
false and misleading statements in many instances to both timeshare
owners and their credit card companies.One of the fraudulent pitches used by the conspirators was to falsely
claim that the timeshare owner had been identified as a victim of
timeshare fraud and was entitled to monies that were held by a
government entity, often referred to as the attorney general’s office or
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and that WAB would obtain those
monies for the timeshare owner in return for the payment of an upfront
fee. The conspirators also offered additional fraudulent services to
timeshare owners, including occasionally offering timeshare
buyouts/takeovers.O’Hanlon ran WAB with the assistance of supervisors Toner, Klemash
and Lambe in New Jersey, and Chiusano in California. O’Hanlon and the
supervisors also engaged in telemarketing sales, as did Jackson, and
Stefanowski was the bookkeeper/controller responsible for drafting
checks drawn on the victim timeshare owners’ bank accounts.Each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud are
punishable by a maximum of 30 years in prison, including an enhancement
of up to 10 years in prison for committing such fraud via telemarketing
that targeted persons over the age of 55 and victimized 10 or more
people over the age of 55. O’Hanlon is also charged with three counts of
tax evasion, punishable by up to five years in prison, and one count
theft of government monies, which is punishable by up to 10 years in
prison. The sentences on each count may run consecutively. Each offense
also carries a potential fine of the greater of $250,000, or twice the
gross gain or loss from the offense.The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely
accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until
proven guilty.LINK: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/three-people-plead-guilty-four-more-charged-conspiracy-commit-wire-fraud-connection
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