Press Release
DEFENDANT INDICTED ON 46 COUNTS OF MAIL FRAUD ARISING FROM FRAUDULENT "WORK-AT-HOME" SCHEMES
July 25, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Enrique Gutierrez, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, announced today that defendant Dasford Demetrius, resident of Broward County, Florida, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lurana S. Snow, on an Indictment which charged him with forty-six counts of mail fraud. Demetrius faces a maximum sentence of twenty years' imprisonment as to each count of mail fraud.
According to the Indictment Demetrius would mail, and cause to be mailed, solicitations offering the recipients the opportunity to earn vast sums of money by "working-at-home" mailing packages of promotional materials. Demetrius would require individuals wishing to participate in his alleged "work-at-home" program to send in an "up- front" fee, which ranged from $40.00 to $299.00. In order to induce the recipients of his solicitation to invest and participate, Demetrius made numerous false and fraudulent representations, including falsely promising the participants that they would receive $1,500.00 for mailing fifty packages, $3,000.00 for mailing one-hundred packages, $6,000.00 for mailing two-hundred packages, and would earn "even more money" if they mailed more than two-hundred packages; falsely promising the participants that they would receive $30.00 "in advance" for each package that they mailed; falsely "guaranteeing" the participants that they would receive payment for mailing packages; and falsely representing that his company was an "honest, ethical and reputable company." Demetrius did not compensate any of the participants as promised.
Demetrius received over $1.5 million from thousands of victims who sent in their up-front fees.
Demetrius has a history of engaging in fraudulent work-at-home schemes. According to the criminal complaint which was filed in connection with this matter, on or about October 19, 1987 and July 2, 1993, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. § 3005, Demetrius had executed an agreement containing a Consent Order with the Postal Service, promising to cease and desist in engaging in envelope stuffing work- at- home programs. The Postal Service had taken action against Demetrius because it had received numerous complaints regarding the "program" he was then offering.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the United States Postal Inspection Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bertha R. Mitrani.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Technical comments about this website can be e-mailed to the Webmaster. PLEASE NOTE: The United States Attorney's Office does not respond to non-technical inquiries made to this website. If you wish to make a request for information, you may contact our office at 305-961-9001, or you may send a written inquiry to the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, 99 NE 4th Street, Miami, Fl. 33132.