Upcoming Event:
Trial: December 14, 2007 at 9:30AM
Court Room 7
Third Floor
United States District Court
750 Missouri Avenue
East St. Louis, IL 62201
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
United States v. Carrie Reid
Case No. 07-30007-DRH
First American/Credit Express/United Card Services advanced fee credit card
telemarketing scam
On January 11, 2007, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of
Illinois returned an 18 count indictment against Carrie Reid, then age 37, of
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. The charges arose out of an investigation conducted
by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with substantial assistance from the
Federal Trade Commission in Chicago, and the Barrie, Ontario Police Service..
The case arose out of the Toronto Strategic Partnership, a cross border
partnership that consists of law enforcement agencies and regulators from Canada
and the U.S. formed to address cross border mass marketing fraud.
The indictment alleges that the scheme operated out of the greater Toronto,
Ontario, Canada metropolitan area. The indictment alleges that defendant and her
co-conspirators engaged in a fraudulent telemarketing scheme targeting residents
of the United States by falsely representing that they would provide MasterCard
and Visa credit cards to individuals with poor credit. The indictment alleges
that several co-conspirators collected fees ranging between $149 and
approximately $300 from tens of thousands of U.S. consumers, processing several
million dollars in credit card and electronic check charges against consumer
accounts.
The indictment further alleges that in connection with their advance fee
credit card scheme, defendant and her co-conspirators used coercive closing
methods to bilk consumers with poor credit in part by misleading many consumers
to believe that unless the consumer paid a roughly $200 "processing fee" to
defendant and her co-conspirators for a credit card, that the consumer's credit
history would be "red flagged" and the consumer would never be able to receive
another credit card. To conceal the fact that the scam operated from outside the
United States, mail drops in the U.S. were created, including one located at a
truck storage warehouse in Buffalo, New York. The scam occupied no physical
space at this facility and telemarketers employed by defendant and her
co-conspirators represented to consumers that the "head office" was located
there.
The indictment alleges that neither Visa nor MasterCard authorized defendant
and her co-conspirators to market credit cards on their behalf and no one
received the credit card they were promised.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under U.S. law, a
defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven beyond a
reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
This case is currently set for trial on September 10, 2007 at 9:00 AM in Courtroom 7, 3rd Floor, U.S. Courthouse, 750 Missouri Avenue, East St. Louis, IL 62201.
To any victim who plans on attending any Court proceeding:
Victims have the right to attend public Court proceedings, subject to some
limitations as determined by the Court. For many reasons Court proceedings may
be cancelled or rescheduled on short notice. If you are planning to attend a
scheduled hearing, please check this web site for any updates before coming to
Court.
Court Pleadings
The following are some of the public filings with the Court, in Adobe Acrobat format.
Victim Rights
Title 18, United States Code, Section 3771(a) provides:
A crime victim has the following rights:
(1) The right to be reasonably protected from the accused.
(2) The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public Court
proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or
escape of the accused.
(3) The right not to be excluded from any such public Court proceeding,
unless the Court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that
testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other
testimony at that proceeding.
(4) The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district
Court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding.
(5) The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in
the case.
(6) The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law.
(7) The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay.
(8) The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's
dignity and privacy.
Since there are a very large number of victims in this prosecution, this case
has been designated a "Multiple Crime Victim" case by Court Order under the
provisions of 18 U.S.C. §3771(d)(2). Accordingly, the principal means of
communicating and consulting with the investigators and government lawyers in
this case will be through this web site, and through the completion of the
"Contact Us" form below.
Contact Us
If you are a victim, and wish to contact us, please send an email to us at
USAILS.VW_ILS@usdoj.gov. Please provide your full name, mailing address,
telephone number, and email address. Given the large number of victims in this
matter, and our need to efficiently manage our multiple victim prosecutions, we
ask that you communicate with us by email. If necessary, we can have someone
respond to you by telephone.
United States Attorney's Office
Southern District of Illinois
9 Executive Drive
Fairview Heights, Il 62208
(618) 628-3700