ST. LOUIS (AP) — An Arizona man has become the 20th man sentenced in a telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted thousands of elderly victims.
Federal prosecutors in St. Louis said Tuesday that 34-year-old Timothy Murphy of Phoenix was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison. He pleaded guilty in February to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The defendants were indicted in 2016 and 2017. All 20 pleaded guilty. The defendants also were ordered to pay back the victims.
The men sold fictitious business opportunities as part of a Phoenix-based telemarketing enterprise, generating more than $20 million in fraudulent sales. Ninety-one of the victims lived in Missouri.
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Several victims lost more than $50,000 each, and two lost more than $200,000.