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U.S. Links San
José Casino Owner With Calls Fraud
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U.S. Links San José
Casino Owner With Calls
Fraud
According to a report by
the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ), Jaime
Ligator, owner of the
Horseshoe casino in San
José, detained last May
18, contributed
financially to the
opening a call centre
that was presumable used
to defraud dozens of
Americans with false
prizes.
Jaime Ligator was
arrested in Costa Rica
on May 18, 2007, on a
complaint, filed under
seal on February 28,
2007, charging him with
one count of conspiracy
(18 U.S.C. § 371). The
complaint was unsealed
on May 17, 2007.
Jaime Ligator, Sheldon
Brenowitz, Allen
Fialkoff, Alfredo Susi
and Chad Michael
Schneider were,
according to the DOJ
website, were indicted
on June 4, 2007 and the
docket call is set for
July 9, 2007, before
Judge Frank D. Whitney
in the United States
Courthouse in Charlotte,
North Carolina.
Ligator is said to be
responsible for the
purchase and
installation of
equipment used in the
office to make calls to
the U.S.
The investigation
carried out in the U.S.
and Costa Rica found
that Ligator, worked
with Brenowitz and a
Canadian with the last
name Zakrweski in the
San José office.
Ligator was picked up in
the area around Mall San
Pedro.
José Alberto Monterrosa,
Ligator's attorney, says
that his client did not
commit any fraud and is
being blamed for the
actions of his
ex-partner, who gave
himself up to U.S,
authorities and cut deal
with prosecutors.
Zakrzewski was detained
by Interpol agents on
Monday when he was
attempting to leave
Costa Rica for a flight
to Canada. The
whereabouts of Brenowits
is still unknown.
According to the U.S.
report, the three, along
with 36 others, are
alleged to defraud
victims with calls
telling them that they
had won a major lottery
with prizes ranging form
us$300.000 to
us$450.000.
The winners were told
that to claim their
prize they were to send
by Western Union
thousands of dollars to
a company in Costa Rica
named Lloyds of London,
money which would be
reimbursed when their
prize was paid.
The winners were told
that the deposit was a
requirement of the
heightened security
measures following
September 11. The
alleged scammers passed
themselves off as agents
of the U.S. Sweepstakes
Security Bureau and
using VoIP technology,
the winners were made to
believe that the call
was coming from within
the U.S.
In reality,
investigators found,
that all the calls came
from San José and that
the majority of the
victims were seniors,
who using their caller
ID, were duped into
believing that the call
was being made from the
Washington D.C. "202"
area code.
The callers, according
to the DOJ report, used
a "pitch sheet" to
follow them through the
sales pitch to extract
the transfer payment.
An "opener" would make
the initial contact,
following up the "lead"
by other employees in
the scheme and then
passed on to the
"loader" who had more
experience in convincing
their mark to send the
money so that they can
claim their prize.
The DOJ report
identifies Brenowitz as
one of the "openers" and
Zakrzewski as a "loader"
and manager of the call
centre.
Monterrosa assures that
his client is innocent
and is currently in jail
without any proof of
wrongdoing against him.
"What is said about him
is not true", said
Monterrosa.
Ligator continues to
remain in custody
waiting extradition to
the United States.
Monterrosa said he has
asked the judges for the
proof and to release his
client who is has health
problems. However,
article 11 of the
extradition treaty with
the U.S. calls for the
person to remain in
detention. |
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Jaime
Ligator, owner of the Horseshoe Casino
in San José, is in detention waiting
extradition to the U.S., accused of
fraud in the U.S. |
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