Two More Florida Telemarketers Plead Guilty

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Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on February 18, 2015, Nathan Christian, 31, of Boynton Beach, FL, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with telemarketing. The investigation determined that Christian was a manager at C&G Marketing Associates, LLC, a Florida corporation that in 2009 defrauded consumers across the continent using the fictitious name, Premier Timeshare Solutions (“PTS”). Working out of an office building in West Palm Beach, Florida, PTS targeted owners of timeshares throughout the United States. In various court filings related to the PTS scam, the government has alleged that the overall scam bilked consumers of $14.5 million from over 7,000 people throughout the United States and Canada, including dozens of victims within the Southern District of Illinois. Sentencing is set for May 29, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. Christian will face up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release.

In a separate case, United States Attorney Wigginton announced today that on February 18, 2015, Gemma Tzen, 26, of Orlando, FL, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with telemarketing. The investigation determined that Tzen was a telemarketer for National Solutions and related companies located in Orlando, Florida, corporations that defrauded consumers across the continent using the fictitious names, Bluescape Timeshares International, Country Wide Timeshares, Countrywide Timeshares MA, Landmark Timeshares, Propertys Direct, Quicksale Propertys, Sun Property Networks, Sun Property’s, Universal Propertys, VIM Timeshares, Propertys DRK, Quick Sale Advisers, Quick Sale International, City Resorts, Resort Advisers, American Timeshares, Exit Week, and Resort Advisors International. National Solutions targeted owners of timeshares throughout the United States and Canada. In various court filings related to the National Solutions scam, the government has alleged that the overall scam bilked over 2,500 consumers out of at least $6 million, including eight victims within the Southern District of Illinois. Sentencing is set for May 29, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. Tzen will face up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release.

These prosecutions are two of nearly 75 timeshare resale fraud prosecutions brought in the Southern District of Illinois over the past four years. The case is part of an ongoing investigation by the St. Louis Field Office of the Chicago Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Florida Attorney General’s Office and the Florida Department of Agriculture. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William Coonan and Michael Hallock.