Four More Charged In Lauderdale Timeshare Scam

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Four more employees of a former timeshare resale company are now facing federal charges for allegedly defrauding customers who want to sell their vacation rentals.

The former telemarketers charged this month were Eric Friedman, Alvaro Rodriguez, Hernando Osorio and Joseph Ackermann, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

All in all, 19 people who were once employed by Timeshare Mega Media and Marketing Group have been charged with conspiring to defraud customers. More than a dozen have already taken plea deals have been sentenced to anywhere between five to 33 months in prison.

According to prosecutors, Timeshare Mega Media made about $5 million in year. Investigators say telemarketers who worked for the firm would convince timeshare owners that buyers had been lined up but they had to put down $10,000 for an administrative fee that would later be refunded.

The problem was, according to prosecutors, there were no buyers and the money was never refunded.

The Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report