One-year sentence for phone scheme

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 1999 | 9:59 a.m.

District Judge Sally Loehrer has sentenced Thomas O'Donnell, 37, of Las Vegas to one year in jail for his part in a telemarketing scheme that bilked 840 elderly citizens across the country out of at least $400,000.

O'Donnell, who pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor of conspiracy to commit unregistered telemarketing, was also ordered to make restitution of $17,058 to the victims.

O'Donnell was one of six men charged in connection with their work for Century Pacific Group, a boiler room that telephoned elderly people and told them they had won valuable sweepstakes prizes, but that they had to pay $699 to get the prize.

Deputy Attorney General Grenville Pridham said there were no prizes. Instead the victims, all of whom lived outside Nevada, received packages from Century Pacific containing lists of companies that offered prize promotions and envelopes for the victims to send in their names to be entered in the different companies' promotions. The senior citizens also received inexpensive cameras and coupons that allowed them to buy film.

O'Donnell told Loehrer he was a victim because his employer told him he did not need to be registered with the state to conduct telemarketing. The judge said O'Donnell was no stranger to court proceedings, noting he had two previous felony convictions of attempted robbery and auto theft and six misdemeanor convictions.

Brian Crawford, 46, another man arrested in the case, appeared before Loehrer Tuesday, but he backed out of a plea bargain agreement. Pridham said he would have to file an amended information, charging new felony counts against Crawford, who had failed to show up for his first arraignment. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was later apprehended.

Company President James E. Smith, 26, is to be sentenced Nov. 16. Pridham said Smith has told authorities that some of the victims were satisfied with their deal and did not want restitution. The attorney general's office is trying to verify this.

Co-defendant Darin Notaro, 25 was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to make $12,230 in restitution. Jeffrey Klingenberg, 28, was placed on probation. Randy Gregg, who pleaded to a misdemeanor count earlier, is to be sentenced Dec. 15.

Century Pacific, which operated out of 6985 W. Sahara Avenue, was raided by agents from the FBI and the office of the attorney general in August 1998.