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Alleged time-share scammers charged with fraud

By Palm Beach Business.com

WEST PALM BEACH — Federal prosecutors have charged 13 employees of a Fort Lauderdale time share sales and marketing firm on fraud charges in connection with an advanced fee scam that targeted time-share owners.

Those charged are: Scott Faraguna, 41, Charles Blomquist, 52, Peter Borkowicz, 31, Raymond Harcar, 39, James Taylor, 23, Ryan Greene, 23, Jason Hampton, 28, Chris Faccone, 43, Steven Sokoloff, 47, Marco Sguera, 30, Joseph Giancola, 38, Ryan Soltow, 27, and Donna Ackermann Brown, 50. All are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.

According to court documents, the 13 worked for Timeshare Mega Media and Marketing Group on Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The 13 would call time-share units and tell them that they had buyers for their units. The owners had to $1,996 in advance to Timeshare Mega Media to cover closing costs and a title search fees. 

In reality, there were no buyers.

Once the victims were hooked, a second Timeshare Mega Media employee would call who would try to get the time-share unit owners to admit on tape that they knew that the fee they were paying was for the advertising of their time-share units and that Timeshare Mega Media could charge their credit card.

Some of the defendants would pay the employee as much as $50 to $100 per sale in order to either not call the time-share unit owners or to process the transaction with the credit card company, even though the victim did not want to go through with the transaction.

To make it more difficult for the time-share owners to get a refund, the defendants were instructed not to give out closing dates for the sale of the units. When time-share unit owners would ask about the sale of their time shares, coconspirators would say that the original buyer had a credit problem and was not approved, but another buyer and that the sale would take place in the near future.

The defendants are scheduled to make their initial appearances in court Tuesday morning in West Palm Beach before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linnea Johnson.

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