A Canadian woman has been sentenced in federal court in New Hampshire to 36 months in prison for defrauding elderly Americans in a telemarketing scheme.
Deborah Wasserman of Montreal was sentenced Monday. Wasserman had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She is scheduled to start her sentence on Feb. 6.
Wasserman was one of 15 Canadians indicted in 2002 after an investigation revealed the group defrauded about 80 victims by telling them they had won large lottery prizes but had to prepay Canadian taxes and fees to get the cash.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says nine of the 15 have been sentenced to federal prison serving sentences ranging from 10 years to six months, and one is jailed in France awaiting extradition. Another manager of the group is a fugitive.