A federal grand jury Friday indicted a Virginia couple on mail fraud and conspiracy charges in what authorities say was one of the nation's largest direct mail scams.
Federal prosecutors said David DeFusco and his wife, Louise, who both last lived in McLean, Va., mailed out more than 26 million letters to people in six Southwestern states promising free gifts if they visited a resort selling time-share condominiums.Between September 1987 and July 1988, prosecutors said, the DeFuscos promised people a free BMW, a large-screen television or $10,000 for visiting one of five resorts in Texas or two in Missouri.
Visitors instead got a book about the 1984 Olympics or a set of knives, the indictment says.
"These mail pieces are the most flagrant in the (direct mail) industry," said U.S. Attorney Bob Wortham. "None of the other mailings absolutely guarantee prizes like the ones the Fuscos promised."
The DeFuscos face a maximum prison term of 10 years each and total fines of $500,000.