LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Three men will spend years in prison due to their roles in a prize-notification scheme that led them to steal more than $10 million from elderly and vulnerable victims.
According to the Justice Department, 55-year-old Mario Castro, 58-year-old Miguel Castro, and 49-year-old Jose Luis Mendez as well as other co-conspirators printed and mailed millions of fraudulent prize notices that led their victims to believe they could claim a large cash prize if they paid a fee of about $20 to $25. However, the victims didn't receive anything of value.
Investigators said the men and their co-conspirators produced the fake prize notices at their warehouse in Las Vegas and operated the scheme from 2010 to 2018. That's when postal inspectors executed multiple search warrants and the Department of Justice obtained a court order shutting down the fraudulent mail operation.
According to investigators, the men ignored multiple cease and desist orders from the United States Postal Service that prohibited their mailing companies from sending fraudulent mail. They responded by changing the names of their companies and using straw owners to hide their operations.
In April, a jury found the three men guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and multiple individual counts of mail fraud. On Monday, Mario Castro has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, Miguel Castro was sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison, and Jose Luis Mendez was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Investigators said four other people have previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with this prize notice scheme. That includes 65-year-old Patti Kern, 43-year-old Andrea Burrow, 45-year-old Edgar Del Rio, and 54-year-old Sean O'Connor.
