Man Gets 42 Months in Jewish Charity Scam
A Los Angeles man was sentenced Tuesday to 42 months in jail for running a charity scam in which he sold tickets to a nonexistent event under the guise of raising funds for the Jewish Federation Council.
Charles Ray Lonberger, 39, who ran the scam using the alias Charles Freed, was convicted of 11 misdemeanor charges last Wednesday. It was his second conviction in two years stemming from illegal solicitation of donations.
During the monthlong trial, 34 prosecution witnesses testified that Lonberger raised funds from a rented office in the Fairfax district for a bogus theatrical production, “The Dance of Esther.” Witnesses said Lonberger hired unsuspecting sales people to sell $50 tickets for the fake event and offered free advertising in a nonexistent magazine to businesses that bought tickets.
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