Jury Convicts Two Minnesotans in Massive $300 Million Elderly Scam Operation

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- A federal jury has convicted two Minnesotans for their roles in a massive nationwide scam that swindiles its victims out of hundreds of millions of dollars. 

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That’s according to a news release issued by Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. The jury returned the guilty verdict following a trial that spanned multiple months. 

Court documents indicate 39-year-old Tashena Laverna Crump of Minneapolis, 37-year-old Ballam Hazeakiah Dudley of Plymouth and 47-year-old Amondo Antoine Miller of Littleton, Co were part of a conspiracy involving at least 40 people that dates as far back as 2000. 

The scam targeted elderly and vulnerable Americans with magazine subscriptions. Crump, Dudley and Miller would call their targets and offer to renew their subscriptions at a reduced cost. 

Instead of renewing the subscriptions, the three would instead trick their victims into signing up for new subscriptions which would result in some victims being fraudulently billed by as many as 10 different companies. 

Some faced bills as high as $1,000 per month. The scam cost its victims more than $300 million and impacted an estimated 150,000 people nationwide. 

“This was one of the largest elder fraud schemes in our nation, with over 150,000 elderly victims across the country,” said United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. “We are pleased with the verdict. Combating elder fraud and abuse is one of the Justice Department’s top priorities, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to combat systemic fraud of our most vulnerable citizens.”

Dudley, Crump, and Miller, were found guilty of multiple counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. Their sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later date.