LV man indicted in telemarketing scheme

Friday, Sept. 4, 1998 | 11:22 a.m.

Keith Owen Adams of Las Vegas has been indicted on 10 counts of money laundering and one count of wire fraud, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Federal documents Wednesday termed Adams' operation a "rip-and-tear" telemarketing scheme.

Adams used the aliases Frank Burns, Dale Russell, David McCoy, Norman Nelson and Jim Jones to telephone elderly victims and falsely inform them that they would receive large cash awards after sending a check to pay for taxes and fees.

The scheme netted Adams $44,629.

The U.S. attorney said 15 elderly people were called in Indiana, Texas, California, Virginia, Kansas, Michigan, Hawaii and Kentucky.

Money was sent to mail boxes in Las Vegas and Henderson. Two fictitious bank accounts also had been set up at a local bank.

Adams represented himself to be the president of Publishers Clearing House, federal documents said.

Adams, according to the indictment, obtained lists of seniors who had previously been defrauded by telemarketers. He convinced victims that they had won cash awards and they must send a check from between $1,000 and $4,000 by overnight mail courier to collect their prizes.

The U.S. attorney said Adams had no cash awards and had no intention of providing such awards. The collected money was specifically for his own use.