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United States v. Glen Adkins, Jr., and Warren F. Tonsing, Jr.

Closed Criminal Division Cases

United States v. Glen Adkins, Jr., and Warren F. Tonsing, Jr.
Court Docket Number: 3:12-cr-00259-RJC-DCK

This case is assigned to Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr., United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, 401 West Trade Street, Room 210, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202.

On November 25, 2014, judgment was entered as to Glenn Adkins, Jr. and Warren F. Tonsing, Jr.  Adkins has been ordered to serve 300 months of incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,419,706.68 in restitution for Count 1; 240 months incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release for Counts 2-9; 540 months incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release for Count 10; 240 months incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release for Counts 11-14; each count Restitution Ordered to be paid jointly and severally. 

Tonsing has been ordered to serve 144 months of incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,419,706.68 in restitution for Count 1; 144 months incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release for Counts 2-9; 144 months incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release for Count 10; each count Restitution Ordered to be paid jointly and severally. 

It is important for you to know that just because the Court ordered the defendant to make restitution in this case does not mean that the defendant is financially capable of making restitution at this time. In the event that sufficient restitution payments are received from the defendant, the funds will be distributed by the Clerk of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

On August 8, 2013, Glen Adkins, Jr., (a/k/a Benjamin Walker, Robert Hayward) and Warren F. Tonsing, Jr., (a/k/a Tony Blake) were each convicted, in a jury trial that began on August 5, 2013, of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud (Count 1: 18 U.S.C. § 1349), eight counts of wire fraud (Counts 2-9: 18 U.S.C. § 1343), one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments (Count 10: 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)), and four counts of international money laundering (Counts 11-14: 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A)) charged in an August 2012 indictment in connection with an offshore fraudulent telemarketing scheme based in Costa Rica. Previously, Adkins was charged by complaint in July 2012.  Sentencing occurred on October 30, 2014.

According to court documents and the evidence at trial, Adkins and Tonsing and their co-conspirators worked in a "call center" or boiler room located in Costa Rica and defrauded United States residents, typically over the age of 55, by deceiving them into believing that they had won prizes in a "sweepstakes contest." Victim calls were made from Costa Rica using the internet and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to disguise the originating location of the calls. The evidence revealed that the victims were informed that to receive their "prize," they were to wire, via Western Union, thousands of dollars for a purported "refundable insurance fee" to a so-called "insurance entity" in Costa Rica. When victims questioned the legitimacy of the operation, they were given phone numbers purportedly to United States government employees – actually telemarketers in Costa Rica - who falsely reassured the victims that they had in fact won a sweepstakes prize. The wires to Costa Rica went through Western Union in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The defendants and their co-conspirators continued to solicit victims to send more money until their victims’ funds were depleted or the victims realized they were defrauded.

The written information on this website will be updated as new developments arise in the case. If you have any questions, please call Pam Washington toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email her at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov

Related case: Related cases pending in the Western District of North Carolina, United States v. Jeffrey Robert Bonner (Court Docket No. 3:13-cr-21) and United States v. Patricia Diane Clark (Court Docket No. 3:13-cr-00163-FDW-DCK.

Indictment


Updated September 27, 2023