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The individuals charged in the cases below are alleged to have been part of a massive scheme that defrauded unsuspecting United States citizens, many over the age of 55, out of millions of dollars by deceiving them into believing that each had won a large monetary prize in a “sweepstakes contest.” Calls to victims were made from Costa Rica using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which utilized computers to make telephone calls over the Internet, disguising the originating location of the calls. Victims were informed that the callers were purportedly from the Sweepstakes Security Commission and that to receive their “prize,” they were to wire to Costa Rica, thousands of dollars for a purported “refundable insurance fee.”
If you have suffered losses as a result of this scheme, you have the right to submit a Victim Impact Statement (we have included a Victim Impact Statement Form for your use ) or letter in aid of sentencing to explain how the crimes affected you. Victim Impact includes physical, emotional and/or financial loss. Because there are many victims and multiple defendants in the Costa Rican Sweepstakes cases, we are asking that you complete this statement now as it relates to any or all of the defendants below and mail it to: Karen Beam, United States Probation Office, Attn: Costa Rican Fraud Cases, 200 W Broad Street, Room 300, Statesville, NC 28677. This will help to expedite the process if additional defendants decide to plead guilty before trial or are found guilty by trial. This statement is important to us because it reflects what you and members of your family are having to personally and financially endure because of the crime.
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