A Tampa, FL, man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in a telemarketing scam because he continued to perpetrate fraud while in prison awaiting sentencing, the Florida attorney general's office said yesterday.
Michael Craun pleaded guilty after his April 2004 arrest in a telemarketing scam that victimized 100 consumers and led to losses of $125,000, the attorney general's office said. Craun and a partner, Felix Peterson, solicited money from victims by offering to find renters for timeshare units, but produced no renters and did not return the $595 to $6,000 taken from each victim, according to the attorney general's office.
Investigators monitoring Craun's telephone calls in prison after his plea discovered that he was creating fraudulent Verizon telephone accounts with fellow inmates, the attorney general's office said.
The Hillsborough County, FL, judge who sentenced Craun gave him the maximum penalty and cited his lack of remorse for his crimes.
Peterson has not entered a plea and is awaiting trial, according to the attorney general's office.
Scott Hovanyetz covers telemarketing, production and printing and direct response TV marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
