A man who apologized to a U.S. court and said he was embarrassed for running a telemarketing scheme that fooled Americans out of more than $2 million, then turned back to Canada to do it all over again, has been handed a 30-month sentence.
“Many thought they were simply verifying or updating information,” Fuerst said. “Mr. Croteau knew that these telemarketing calls were misleading." He ran a telemarketing scam along with circulating a “final notice” letter claiming to be from a legitimate collection agency. He did serve five years and three months in an institution and, when he was released, he returned to Canada where he launched the scheme all over again.
The aggravating factors, she added, included the planned and deliberate nature of the deceitful activity that attached to it an air of authenticity by pretending to be associated with well-known organizations.