CASEY: ‘I was supposed to get all this money back – I haven’t gotten a dime'

An elderly Roanoke County woman was scammed for more than $40,000 by two men who promised to sell her South Carolina timeshare if she paid them advance fees. Last week, two suspects linked to the companies she paid were indicted on federal charges in California, in what authorities allege was a 10-year long nationwide scam that defrauded hundreds of senior citizens of $4.5 million.

Dan Casey 10 hrs ago

Last week in Los Angeles, federal prosecutors indicted a couple of characters in a 10-year-long scheme the feds allege has targeted senior citizens who own vacation timeshares. That case appears to have an interesting but sad local connection.

Allegedly, Michael Alexi Dragunov, of Los Angeles, and Christopher Michael Lang,of Hays, Kansas, operated the scam nationally, via phone calls and emails, and conned $4.5 million from victims.

According to federal court documents, the duo made calls across the U.S., identifying themselves under dozens of aliases, and as working for at least four different companies they created and registered in California, Florida and Tennessee. According to those documents, two of the companies were Paramount Media LLC and Premier Marketing LLC.

The indictment charges Dragunov and Lang targeted senior citizens who owned vacation timeshares. Posing under aliases such as “Gene Andrew,” “Scott Graham” and others, the two men allegedly offered to re-sell timeshares for elderly owners who paid money up front, ostensibly for advertising the sales.

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Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney in California, said Dragunov is being held in a Los Angeles jail without bond. Lang was released after posting $120,000 bond.

Both men pleaded not guilty. Their trial is scheduled for Sept. 5, McEvoy added.

Dan Casey (540) 981-3423
dan.casey@roanoke.com
@dancaseysblog