SPRINGFIELD -- A Canadian man faces 15 months in federal prison in connection with a scam to bilk an 87-year-old Clinton woman out of $32,000.
Joseph Baroud, 37, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to interstate transportation of stolen money for his involvement in the crime, which hinged on convincing the woman she had won $1 million in the Canadian lottery in July.
Baroud, who listed addresses in New York and Dallas, will be formally sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeanne E. Scott on Jan. 30.
Baroud agreed to pay $22,000 in restitution and could face deportation to Canada after he fulfills his sentence.
The case, which was investigated jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clinton Police Department, serves as an example of how scam artists prey on the elderly.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Estaban Sanchez said an unknown person called the woman in Clinton and told her she had won more than $1 million in the Canadian lottery. The woman was told she would need to wire money via Western Union to insure the prize money before she could collect the winnings.
Local bank officials and clerks at the business where the woman attempted to wire the money alerted law enforcement officers, who advised the woman that she had been duped.
The woman was soon contacted again and was told someone would come to her house to pick up the money. Baroud arrived in Central Illinois on July 13, went to the woman's house, took $22,000 and returned to Los Angeles.
Baroud returned to Central Illinois three days later and picked up an additional $10,000. Police, however, had been tipped off and were waiting for him when he attempted to leave.
Earlier this month, a variation of the scam was attempted on a Normal couple. In that case, a caller claimed the couple had won $1.5 million in a contest in Australia. In June, the couple fell victim to a similar call and lost $2,225 in the process.
"Any person who says you have to send money to get your winnings is probably not telling the truth," Sanchez said. "Never send money to someone you don't know. Never give your Social Security number, your credit card number or your banking information to anyone over the telephone.
"Legitimate business is not done that way."
If someone receives questionable telephone solicitations, they should contact the police, Sanchez added.
In entering his guilty plea, Baroud avoided a trial.
"I'm not happy with it, but I'm sticking with it. A deal is a deal," Baroud told the judge.
He could have faced up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Baroud's attorney, John Noll, said he believes federal authorities are attempting to track down Baroud's accomplices.
Sanchez confirmed that an investigation continues.
Contact Kurt Erickson at kerickson@springnet1.com
By Kurt Erickson, Capitol bureau chief
www.pantagraph.com
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