Telemarketer sentenced to three years in prison

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 1999 | 8:59 a.m.

A Las Vegas telemarketer was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday for hiding more than $300,000 in assets from the U.S. Probation and Parole Department and for violating the terms of his supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Lloyd George sentenced Marc Levy to 10 months in prison on the supervised release violation and to 26 months on an obstruction of justice charge. He also gave Levy two years for willfully failing to pay child support, but that sentence is to be served at the same time as the obstruction of justice charge.

George followed the recommendation of the U.S. Probation and Parole Department.

A few years ago Levy was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in a telemarketing scam that netted more than $268,000.

Shortly after his release in March 1998, probation officers discovered more than $300,000 hidden away in two safety deposit boxes rented by Levy. When they realized Levy had lied about his assets, he was charged with obstruction of justice and willful failure to pay child support.

The probation officers also decided to try to send him back to prison for violating the conditions of his release.

On Tuesday, Levy admitted to the charges, but asked George to sentence him to a lesser sentence than recommended by the probation department.

Levy and his attorney, Randall Roske, asked George to take into consideration the fact that Levy suffers from severe migraines, high blood pressure and an abdominal mass of unknown origin.

Levy also told George that since his arrest he has provided valuable information to the authorities about various drug, explosives, gambling and forgery cases. He also claimed to have given authorities information about Timothy Blackburn's escape from the North Las Vegas Detention Center, which is where he is currently incarcerated.

Blackburn escaped from the jail Aug. 11. He killed himself, his wife and two small daughters Aug. 29 after police received a tip that they were hiding out in a Boulder Highway motel.

Levy also said that he believed that all of his assets had been stolen by a female friend of his while he was in prison. He didn't know until after he had filled out the paperwork that he still had more than $300,000, he said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Sullivan asked George to follow the probation department's recommendation, saying that Levy once lied about having throat cancer. He also said Levy provided "no substantial assistance" to the government on any case.

In addition, Sullivan noted that bank records show that Levy had been in his safety deposit boxes within a month of his prison release and yet continued to lie to probation officers after that.

George also ordered Levy to pay an additional $36,655 in back child support.

Beth Cunnings, a supervising probation officer, said justice had been served in the case.

The two probation officers in the case, Sandy Schmitt and James Perdue "represent excellent community supervision," Cunnings said.

"They followed their hunches and his questionable behavior and look what happened," Cunnings said. "They did the district proud."