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Leader of timeshare fraud scheme sentenced in Las Vegas

A federal judge in Las Vegas on Wednesday sentenced a Florida man to 63 months in prison for leading a timeshare scheme that defrauded upward of 1,000 people out of more than $3 million.

Daniel Martin “Wolf” Boyar, 64, of Orlando pleaded guilty in late 2017 to mail and wire fraud charges for his role in organizing a telemarketing scam that lured many “elderly” victims into selling timeshares to phony buyers, according to court documents.

Boyar and his co-conspirators promised to sell timeshares in exchange for the owners paying in advance a portion of the closing costs of the fake sales, the Department of Justice said in a news release. The scheme, which Boyar operated under various business names, is known as the “buyer’s pitch,” and the sales never occurred.

Under Boyar’s scam, fictitious websites misled potential sellers with “customer testimonials, company officers, and press releases,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office, which advised caution when contacted about unsolicited services.

Twenty other people were charged and have pleaded guilty for their involvement, and 13 are awaiting sentencing.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.

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