Richard Martino
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Martino (b. 1961) is a member of the New York Gambino crime family who was involved in an Internet scam that defrauded people of up to $750 million. It was the largest consumer fraud case in American history.
Martino and Salvatore LoCascio, a capo in the Gambino family, created a pornography website that supposedly offered free tours and required a credit card number to confirm the visitor's age. Then they would bill the website visitors on a monthly basis without their knowledge or authorization. Martino and Locascio also hatched a scheme called "cramming", in which they use a phone company to bill customers for unwanted services. After many complaints from Internet and cell phone users, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began to investigate. Martino was arrested, along with LoCascio and others, and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Martino plead guilty to the charges.
On January 6, 2006, Richard Martino was sentenced to five years in prison and a $4.6 million fine. As of May 2008, Martino was still incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Fort Dix, New Jersey. His projected release date is August 2, 2014.
[edit] External links
- Gambino Mafia Rips Off U.S. Government, Porno Lovers and Cell Phone Users Across the Globe in Multi-Million Dollar Scheme. Retrieved on 2006-03-16.
- This Week in Gang Land: Dapper Don Was Right About Richie. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- MSNBC.com - Alleged mobsters guilty in vast Net, phone fraud Mafia scheme said to have netted $659 million over 7 years. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- Computer Crime Research: Mob nets $650 million from phone and internet fraud. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- PCPro: The Soprano Connection
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator Website
