3 Facing Prison Time In $1M Toilet Paper Scam
WEST PALM BEACH (CB4)-A South Florida trio is facing up to two decades in prison after they were allegedly involved in a $1 million toilet paper scam in Palm Beach County.
Federal prosecutors said the three conned elderly customers into buying unnecessary septic products, in some cases more than 70 years worth of toilet paper, CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald reported.
According to the Herald, the three worked for FBK Products of West Palm Beach. They told more than a dozen of their victims that they needed the company's special toilet paper to avoid ruining their septic tanks. They told their victims that the federal government changed regulations on toilet paper, the Herald reported. The federal government, though, does not regulate septic tank products.
In phone pitches, salespeople claimed the company was affiliated with the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. One product, the $199 Septic Remedy treatment, would eliminate the need to have their tanks pumped, the company claimed.
Victims were also told that they needed special soap, detergent and toilet paper or their septic tanks would not pass federal inspection, the Herald reported. But the EPA does not regulate septic tank products, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Three of the suspects, Christopher Lincoln, Mary Moore and Joseph Nouerand, this week pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to commit wire fraud. They agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and will be sentenced in February.
Three other employees are awaiting trial.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
