(Dept. of Justice) - A Nevada man was sentenced Monday in Las Vegas for perpetrating a prize-notification scheme that defrauded thousands of elderly and vulnerable victims. Edgar Del Rio, 56, of Las Vegas, was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Del Rio previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
According to court documents, Del Rio and other co-conspirators printed and mailed millions of fraudulent prize notices that led their victims to believe that they could claim a large cash prize if they paid a fee of $20 to $25. This was false; victims who paid the fees did not receive anything of value.
Once victims fell prey to the scheme, Del Rio and his co-conspirators bombarded them with more fraudulent mail. Del Rio and his partners received millions of dollars from victims.
The scheme operated from 2010 to February 2018, when postal inspectors executed multiple search warrants and the Justice Department obtained a court order shutting down the fraudulent mail operation. Del Rio operated one of several printing and mailing businesses that sent the fraudulent mail and shared the profits from the fraudulent prize notices.
Three other people previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with this prize notice scheme: Patti Kern, 66, of Henderson, Nevada; Andrea Burrow, 53, of Las Vegas; and Sean O’Connor, 54, of Las Vegas.
Three other members of the scheme were found guilty by a jury and sentenced earlier this year. Mario Castro, 55, of Las Vegas, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Miguel Castro, 58, of Las Vegas, was sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison. Jose Luis Mendez, 49, of Henderson, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.