Two men are facing lengthy sentences after pleading guilty to fraud charges. The two made out with thousands of dollars from people in the Denver area by claiming to raise money for charity. Unfortunately, the charities were nonexistent and the men were pocketing the cash.
According to the Denver Post, Danny Kleiman and David Dale Werkmeister ran this con on 626 victims. During the course of their scheme which ran from November 2005 to April 2007 the two called around 6,500 Colorado residents looking for donations.
As with many large scale fraud schemes, many of the victims in this case were elderly. Altogether the victims made 1,600 donations for a total amount of $95,000.
The men reached a plea agreement and pled guilty to racketeering and charities fraud when they were originally also charged with forgery, perjury, theft from at-risk adults, and felony violations of the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act. The duo faces up to 16 years in prison when they go up for sentencing.
Fraud schemes like this make big headlines but aren’t the most common fraud charges we see in the Colorado court system. Bad checks and credit card fraud are far more common than large scale schemes like this.
If you are charged with bad checks, the penalty and charges you face is dependent on the amount the checks were for. You could face anywhere from 3 to 18 months in jail. The charges could be a Class 2 misdemeanor all the way to a Class 6 felony charge.
Crimes like forgery, credit card fraud, and bad checks are often committed with little thought about consequences. Maybe you were in a financial bind and saw an easy way out. Owning up to the offense and taking responsibility for it can be difficult.
When you are in this type of situation and need help deciding on your next move, you need the help of an experienced attorney. Call our defense lawyers today so we can discuss your case and your options. I may be able to help you get probation instead of jail time or possibly even get the charges dropped. There are always defense options, and there is always hope.