Man Charged in Fitness Magazine Scam
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NEW YORK -- A man was charged last week in a scam that involved funding a fake online fitness magazine.
Mark Andrew Moore lured more than 50 people from at least six states into putting up a total of $365,000 to launch an online personal fitness forum, according to the Manhattan (NY) District Attorney’s office.
Moore, however, created only a skeletal Web site for the venture called eS-prit International Inc., which was billed as an online magazine and social network, assistant district attorney Hope Korenstein said. The headquarters for the company was a rented post office box, prosecutors added.
Victims sent Moore an average of $5,000 each from California, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada and Virginia and received bogus stock certificates in return. One Massachusetts man gave Moore $77,000.
Moore spent more than $100,000 of the money he received in restaurants and bars, plus he spent an additional $3,500 on luxury items, prosecutors claim. He also spent $15,000 in restitution from a 2000 grand larceny conviction for stealing from City University of New York’s Hunter College, where he had worked as a facilities manager.
Moore was being held on a $150,000 cash bond after pleading not guilty last Thursday to charges that included grand larceny and tax fraud. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.Want to use this article? Click here for options!
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