S.D. Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in County Coin Scam
A San Diego man was sentenced to 15 months in prison Monday for helping his bosses swindle $6 million from investors who bought ancient coins from an Orange County business.
Brian Thompson, 28, formerly of Orange, had pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud stemming from his activities as sales administrator of the now-defunct Marco Numismatics, which operated in Costa Mesa from 1985 to 1988, Assistant U.S. Atty. Thomas J. Umberg said.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts ordered Thompson to pay $7,000 restitution, Umberg said.
The sentencing marks the close of the case that saw seven men deemed guilty of federal crimes linked to the scam. Some were convicted at trial; others pleaded guilty.
The father-son team that ran the business, Vincent L. Caterino, 59, of Riverside, and James N. Caterino, 29, of Costa Mesa, were sentenced to prison earlier this month for masterminding the high-pressure phone sales operation. They were convicted of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud.
Salesmen in the scam persuaded investors to buy rare or ancient coins that were vastly overvalued, authorities said.
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