Man gets 11 years in debt relief scam

By Brian Nordli

Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012 | 10:30 p.m.

A man who defrauded 66 people out of more than $200,000 in Las Vegas through two debt relief companies was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney in Nevada Daniel Bogden said.

Henry Lee Stuckey, 41, had pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, wire fraud and simple assault in February, Bogden said. The Las Vegas resident had owned and operated Pureasset Investment Corp. in 2009 and Reviving American Dreams in 2010, which he used to scam customers out of $206,919, Bogden said.

Stuckey told customers he would help them pay down their credit and mortgage debts for an advanced fee, and if the program failed, the customer would receive a refund, Bogden said. He also paid commissions to customers who brought in new customers enabling him to continue the scam, Bogden said. Instead of helping customers pay their debt, Stuckey used the victims’ fees for personal expenses, attorney fees, an unrelated business, payroll and to pay commissions, Bogden said.

Bogden said Philadelphia resident Marilyn Stewart, 39, worked with Stuckey in the fraud scheme.

Stuckey was also on a federal supervised release for a 2004 identity theft conviction for which he served prison time, Bogden said. On Jan. 12, 2011, Stuckey assaulted his federal probation officer at the U.S. Probation Office in Las Vegas by pushing past the officer, causing him to strike his head on the door, Bogden said.

Bogden said Stewart will face trial on Oct. 15 and faces charges of conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, money laundering and making a false statement to the FBI.