By: Francisco Diaz, The Laredo Sun
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Ragavan Thamby, 51, defrauded more than 600 people into believing they won awards but would ask them to send money before receiving anything.
The man was brought before a federal judge in Laredo, where he was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud through telemarketing.
Ken Magidson, an assistant U.S. Attorney, said Thamby received accusations in 2009, after being arrested for operating a fraudulent organization based in Toronto, Canada.
The defendant admitted that between 2002 and 2007, he made calls to senior citizens in the United States, stating that they had won a lottery prize and the money had not been claimed.
In his call to them, he also said that in order to claim the prize, they had to send a certain amount for administrative costs.
As a result of this fraudulent operation, Thamby fooled 600 people and earned three million dollars.
As part of the plea deal, the Canadian must return all the money to the defrauded victims.
Thamby remains detained while being called for another hearing for his sentence. The Canadian faces up to 30 years in prison and a possible additional fine of one million dollars.
This case was investigated by various law enforcement agencies in Canada, in coordination with the FBI.
Edited by: C.R.
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