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September 30, 2021

Florida Woman Received More Than Five Years' Imprisonment for Conspiracy

On July 14, 2021, in the Middle District of Florida, Lori Owen was sentenced for conspiracy. Owen was initially indicted on December 11, 2019, for illegal monetary transactions, aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud conspiracy. A superseding indictment was filed on October 15, 2020.

According to the court documents, beginning on an unknown date, but no later than in or around December 2014, and continuing through at least August 2016, Owen was part of a team of coconspirators, based in the United States, who coordinated with conspirators located in other jurisdictions to obtain money from victims through fraudulent and threatening representations. Many of their victims resided in the United States. Owen and coconspirators created shell companies that typically were non-operational entities with no legitimate business operations. To assist in the collection of fraud proceeds, Owen and coconspirators established mail and e-mail addresses, established websites, opened merchant accounts, both personal and business accounts at financial institutions, and obtained Employer Identification Numbers from the Social Security Administration in the names of the shell companies. Owen and coconspirators recruited and hired other participants, based in the United States, to execute the fraud scheme. They placed advertisements online seeking employees and/or business partners for the shell companies.

Owen and coconspirators falsely posed as Government officials and threatened victims with prosecution and/or arrest for failure to pay erroneous fines and/or taxes. They also falsely presented themselves as lottery officials and told victims to send money for advance tax payments for the monetary prizes. Victims were instructed to send money through a money service business, deposit into a financial institution, send cash via United States mail or commercial carrier, or purchase prepared stored value cards.

Owen was sentenced to 63 months' imprisonment, 60 months of supervised release, ordered to pay $659,835.40 in restitution, and a $100 assessment fee.

    Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: M.D. Fla., J., filed July 15, 2021; M.D. Fla., Indict., filed December 11, 2019, and M.D. Fla., Superseding Indict., filed October 15, 2020.