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Attorney
General Mike DeWine
Final
Arrest made in Telemarketing Land Scam
Case
(COLUMBUS,
Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike
DeWine announced today that the last suspect in a multi-state
telemarketing
ring is now in custody.
Deputies
with the Howell County, Missouri,
Sheriff's Office arrested Michael Sweigart last night.
Several anonymous
tips to the Attorney General's Office led officers to a home in West
Plains,
Missouri, where Sweigart went into custody without incident.
He had been
on the run for more than two months.
"Wednesday's
arrest makes the 18th and
final arrest in connection to this ongoing investigation," said
Attorney
General DeWine. "We appreciate the teamwork between our Ohio
officers and the officers across the country who all helped put each
suspect in
jail."
The
majority of the 18 suspects were arrested
in Florida, while officers found others in Ohio, Indiana, New York, and
now
Missouri.
According
to indictments returned in June, the
suspects operated a criminal enterprise of at least three different
companies
targeting victims nationwide who owned inexpensive, vacant land
throughout the
United States. Landowners were fed a series of lies over the
phone and
were led to believe that their land was worth up to 15 times its
assessed
value. They were told they had to pay fees of $500 to nearly $16,000 to
guarantee the sale of their land.
The
enterprise was founded in Ohio in 2007 and
operated from many locations, including Troy, Huber Heights, and
Vandalia.
Later, the operation opened new branches in the Tampa, Fla., area.
The
18 suspects were indicted on June 20th for
charges including Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activities;
Conspiracy;
Aggravated Theft of $1.5 million or more; Telecommunications Fraud;
Money Laundering;
and Telemarketing Fraud. If convicted, the ringleaders face charges
that can
carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence
of 37
and a half years.
Sweigart
is facing a maximum of 24.5 years in
prison for his alleged role in the crimes. He is currently
awaiting
extradition back to Ohio to face charges. Two other
suspects have
pleaded guilty in the case, and trial dates for several others have
been
scheduled.
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