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Man Sentenced In LA For $4.5M Telemarketing Scam

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man whose telemarketing scam bilked mainly elderly Californians out of more than $4.5 million has been sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison.

John Bezeredi of Vancouver, Canada, was sentenced Thursday in Los Angeles and ordered to pay restitution, although authorities say many victims have since died.

Authorities say that between 2000 and 20005, 49-year-old Bezeredi bilked 4,500 people out of money. Prosecutors say he ran bond companies out of Vancouver where telemarketers solicited money for phony schemes that promised guaranteed investments.

He pleaded guilty in 2009 to one count of mail fraud.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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