Former Vice President Of South Florida Tech Support Scam Sentenced To Ten and A Half Years In Prison

The former vice president and sales manager of a fraudulent tech support business known as Client 
Care Experts, LLC (CCE) will be spending the next 10½ years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Steven 
D. Weinhoeft announced today. Grant Clark Wasik, 36, of Oakland Park, Florida, was sentenced 
yesterday in federal district court in East St. Louis, Illinois, to 125 months in prison for 
conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The court also ordered Wasik to pay over $10.5 million in 
restitution to the victims of the fraud scheme.

Wasik was the vice president and sales manager of CCE, formerly known as First Choice Tech Support, 
which was based in Boynton Beach, Florida. The company also operated a similar tech support 
business called ABC Repair Tech (ABC), located in Costa Rica.

According to court documents, the defendants purchased pop-up advertisements that would appear 
suddenly on a person’s computer screen. The pop-ups were made to look like system warnings and 
falsely informed the victims that serious problems, such as viruses or malware, had been detected 
on their computers. Often, the pop-ups caused the person’s internet browser to freeze up and stop 
responding. The pop-ups also typically warned the victims not to shut down their computers or else 
they would lose all their data. Instead, the ads directed them to call a toll-free number, where 
they were connected to sales representatives who continued the fraud.

The sales representatives would convince the victims to grant them remote access to their 
computers, where normal computer functions and routine processes were highlighted as evidence of 
serious computer problems. Victims were never told that the pop-ups that had hijacked their 
computers were just advertisements purchased by the tech support company, or that in most instances 
they could make the pop-ups go away simply by rebooting their computers. Instead, they were sold 
remote “tune-ups” for $250 and anti-virus protection software for another $400. If victims balked 
at the steep prices, the sales representatives would offer them a discount for being
a senior citizen or a military veteran or something else.

From 2013-2016, the two companies – CCE and ABC – combined to defraud more than 40,000 people. 
Victims were located in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, several
U.S. territories, all 10 Canadian provinces, the United Kingdom, and several other foreign 
countries. At least 57 victims of the scams were residents of the Southern District of Illinois, 
representing 22 of the district’s 38 counties, including St. Clair and Madison. All told, the two 
companies took in over $25 million.

Wasik pled guilty to count one of a 14-count superseding indictment earlier this year. Two former 
owners of CCE, Michael Austin Seward, 32, of Deerfield Beach, Florida, and Kevin James McCormick, 
46, of Delray Beach, Florida, also pled guilty to their role in the conspiracy and are set to be 
sentenced on November 18. The Honorable Joe Billy McDade from the Central District of Illinois, who 
presided over Wasik’s case, will also conduct the sentencings of Seward and McCormick.

The former CEO of ABC, Michael Cary Lawing, is due to be sentenced on October 15 before the 
Honorable Nancy J. Rosenstengel, Chief United States District Judge for the Southern District of 
Illinois. Lawing, 34, of Lincolnton, North Carolina, pled guilty to a felony information late last 
year. Since April 2017, 14 other employees of CCE and ABC have also pleaded guilty to federal fraud 
violations in the Southern District of Illinois:

•      Joseph Ralph Aievoli, IV, 26, of Boynton Beach, FL – Salesperson at CCE
•      Cory Steven Bachman, 26, of Boynton Beach, FL – Salesperson at CCE
•      Andrew Douglas Broad, 27, of Boynton Beach, FL – Director of Training at CCE
•      Ryan Stocker Carr, 24, of Mount Laurel, NJ – Team Leader at CCE
•      Joshua Dennis Cortez, 38, of Lake Worth, FL – Director of Training at CCE
•      Erica Marie Crowell, 30, of Maple Shade, NJ – Salesperson at CCE
•      Nicholas James Davidson, 27, of Boynton Beach, FL – Salesperson at CCE
•      Patrick M. Dougherty, 36, of Boynton Beach, FL – Salesperson at CCE
•      Tatum Elyse Espenshade, 27, of West Palm Beach, FL – Salesperson at CCE
•      Eric M. Iannaccone, 33, of Monroe Township, NJ – Sales Manager at CCE
•      Anthony Vincent Ludena, 30, of Boca Raton, FL – Salesperson at CCE
•      Robert Thomas McCart, 33, of Boynton Beach, FL – Team Leader at CCE
•      Timothy James Miller, II, 28, of Schwenksville, PA – Salesperson at CCE
•      Jonathan Matthew Richardson, 28, of Lake Worth, FL – Salesperson at CCE
•      Kyle Evan Swinson, 27, of Boynton Beach, FL – Team Leader at ABC/CCE

Because the crimes allegedly took place in connection with telemarketing and victimized 10 or more 
persons over the age of 55, the maximum punishment in each case is 30 years imprisonment. The 
defendants could also be ordered to serve up to five years of supervised release and pay a fine of 
up to $250,000. Under federal law, restitution to identified victims is mandatory.Ten of these additional defendants have been sentenced already:

These cases are part of an ongoing investigation by the St. Louis Field Office of the Chicago 
Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service. The cases are being prosecuted by 
Assistant United States Attorneys Scott A. Verseman, Ranley R. Killian, and Nathan D. Stump.

The Florida Attorney General’s Office raided CCE in June 2016 and has been cooperating with the 
federal investigation, in addition to bringing its own civil enforcement action against CCE under 
Florida state law.

Some consumers who were victimized by ABC or CCE / First Choice Tech Support have received 
additional fraudulent calls. These calls typically come from companies claiming either
(a) that the technical support the victims purchased has been transferred to them and additional 
funds are now needed; or (b) that they can help the victims obtain a refund. Victims should be
advised that no companies have been authorized to provide them with any tech support services on 
behalf of ABC or CCE / First Choice Tech Support, or to provide them with a refund for any
previous purchases.