Local News in Brief : 5 Indicted in Phone Scam

Five men have been indicted in Los Angeles for allegedly running a scam in three states in which they bilked victims out of $1.5 million by persuading them to buy overpriced goods over the telephone to claim a valuable prize.

The 30-count federal mail fraud indictment against the five men was unsealed late Wednesday when the chief defendant, Jesse Ridings Jr., 43, was arrested and another surrendered, both in San Antonio, Tex.

The men allegedly used at least seven corporate names and operated out of offices in Venice, Colorado and Arizona, sending out notices promising people a free $1,000 U.S. Treasury bond or a power boat with an inboard motor if they called a long-distance phone number within 48 hours.

But when customers called they were told they must buy $200 worth of pens and key tags priced at about $3 each, plus a $59 “destination” charge to claim their prize, the indictment said.

Most victims who paid the fees received nothing at all, prosecutor Harriet B. Leva said.

“Those who did receive something received an inflatable vinyl raft with a battery operated motor which was delivered in a cardboard box . . . and for which the defendants themselves had paid only about $59,” Leva said.