Three Canadian Men Sentenced For Sweepstakes Fraud

HARRISBURG – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that three Canadian men were sentenced on April 15, 2020, for their roles in a bogus sweepstakes scam that defrauded 45 victims across the United States out of $302,045.

Konstantine Filippas, age 74, Michael Dissos, age 68, and Michael Pare, age 55, all from the greater Montreal, Canada area, were sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud charges. Dissos and Pare received a sentence of time served of approximately nine months each, and Filippas was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, all three defendants were indicted in 2014, along with four other alleged co-conspirators.  The seven defendants allegedly defrauded approximately 65 victims, most of whom were elderly, for losses exceeding $1.2 million.  Filippas, Dissos and Pare were eventually extradited from Canada to the Middle District of Pennsylvania last summer. The defendants admitted during their guilty plea proceedings to allowing their Canadian bank accounts to be used to receive monies sent by victims who were lead to believe they had won substantial winnings in a fictitious sweepstakes contest.  The defendants also admitted to cashing out Western Union and MoneyGram money transfers sent by some victims.

Chief Judge Conner also ordered Dissos to pay $34,080, Pare to pay $90,745, and Filippas to pay $177,220 in restitution to the 45 victims. Chief Judge Conner further ordered Dissos and Pare to self-deport back to Canada within seven days of their release from custody.

The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel is prosecuting the case.