North Carolina Woman Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Fleeing Country to Avoid Telemarketing Fraud Sentence

A Greensboro, North Carolina, woman was sentenced to 48 months in prison today for fleeing the United States after being sentenced to 60 months in prison for her role in managing a telemarketing scheme that induced victims to send money for a falsely promised sweepstakes prize, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the Western District of North Carolina.

Jessica Anne Brown, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. of the Western District of North Carolina.  The 48-month sentence will run consecutive to the previously-issued 60-month sentence.  Brown pleaded guilty on June 1, 2016, to one count of failure to surrender for service of sentence and one count of contempt of court.

As part of her guilty plea, Brown admitted that she violated her court-ordered release conditions by removing her location monitor and using an unlawfully-obtained passport to flee to Canada after having been ordered to surrender for a 60-month prison sentence stemming from her role in managing an illegal call center in Costa Rica that defrauded hundreds of U.S. victims.  Brown further admitted that she fled to Canada with the intent of avoiding her sentence.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Department of State.  Trial Attorneys Gustav Eyler and William Bowne of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.  The Canada Border Services Agency and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance.

The Fraud Section plays a pivotal role in the Department of Justice’s fight against white collar crime around the country.  Today’s sentencing is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.  With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud.  Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations.  Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants, including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants.  For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.