The owner of a Canadian telemarketing operation has been convicted of mail and wire fraud for orchestrating a scheme that prosecutors say defrauded at least 60,000 people out of more than $18 million. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles says a jury found Mark Eldon Wilson of Vancouver guilty on Thursday after a five-day trial. Prosecutors say Wilson masterminded a cross-border scheme that targeted elderly victims with a bogus protection program for credit card fraud. They say between 1998 and 2001, Wilson's telemarketers sold victims non-existent protection for about $300 each. Victims were targeted in 37 states, including California.

Source: ABC News March 31, 2018 01:18 UTC