The following appears on MyNewsLA.com
Police nab 20 suspects in $126M telemarketing scheme
Federal investigators and Huntington Beach police teamed up Tuesday to arrest 20 defendants named in an indictment alleging a telemarketing scheme involving toner for copiers and printers that ripped off thousands of victims of $126 million.
The indictment, which was unsealed Tuesday, alleges there were more than 50,000 victims who paid more than $126 million for printers and photocopiers at prices 10 times higher than the regular retail value, according to federal prosecutors.
Telemarketers involved in the alleged scheme would pose as the victims’ regular suppliers of the products, prosecutors said.