Toilet paper scam nets prison time for 3

By Associated Press and msnbc.com

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Talk about a dirty scam.

Federal prosecutors in Florida say at least three people working for a septic tank company duped elderly customers into buying about $1 million in unnecessary products -- in some cases enough toilet paper to last more than 70 years.

More than a dozen customers were told they needed special toilet paper to avoid ruining their septic tanks because the federal government changed regulations on toilet paper. The federal government does not regulate septic tank products.

Christopher Lincoln, Mary Moore and Joseph Nouerand each pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to commit wire fraud.

The Miami Herald reported that they worked for FBK Products. A phone number for the Riviera Beach-based company was not working Saturday.

Discuss this post

Now I suppose the Republicans will defend these three because there should not have been any regulations prohibiting these "business practices" because those regulations cause unemployment.

  • 15 votes
Reply#1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:07 PM EST

Just trolling around for anything you can twist into Republican-bashing? Got to bring politics into a straightforward criminal case of fraud, eh?

  • 14 votes
#1.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:04 PM EST

It's a legitimate question. Usually, Libertarians believe that the government should protect people from fraud, but in this current environment, I'm not sure if even they'd even want to do that.

  • 3 votes
#1.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:20 PM EST

Proposing that Republicans would protect fraud on the basis of decreasing unemployment is a legitimate question? Not in my world, and I don't even support the GOP.

  • 3 votes
#1.3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:28 PM EST

Sounds more like a case the Liberals would be interested in defending. It is the Republicans who put these fraud laws into effect to help protect the elderly.

  • 1 vote
#1.4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:26 PM EST

Scamming old folks about toilet paper??? What a @!$%#ty thing to do; Hang Them out to Dry!!!!

  • 2 votes
#1.5 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:02 AM EST

Why is it that some people have to try and make every story about politics. This story is not about politics, it is about a few scumbags who decided that scamming the elderly was an acceptable was to get rich. Please go crawl back under your rock and do not come out again until you are ready to talk about the actual subject of the article.

As for the story, I hope they throw these clowns in jail for a long time so that they have plenty of time to think about what they did. People who try and scam the elderly are really low, particularly since many of those they scam are barely getting by as it is.

  • 8 votes
#1.6 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:21 AM EST

Well............that stinks!!!!!!!!!

  • 1 vote
#1.7 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:49 AM EST

Don97524 is absolutely right, and I REALLY doubt Dave the Doubter's statement! He's got it backwards, liberals pass laws to protect the elderly, ever hear of Social Security? The RW CONServatives put loopholes in laws so thier criminal friends on Wall Street and elsewhere get off SCOT-FREE!!! So much for the "Law and Order" GOP crowd!!!

    #1.8 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:01 AM EST

    If there is a legitimate political angle to throw at this story, it is the fact that these people will go to jail, yet the bankers and mortgage companies who caused this current recession will mostly get away with no punishment.

    • 4 votes
    #1.9 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:02 AM EST

    Republicans, as we speak, have been defunding and trying to shut down a consumer protections agency that was formed to protect consumers from fraud! They've stated in the media for months that the government shouldn't be overseeing the protections of consumers, and if a consumer get's scammed out of their money then that was a bad financial decision on their part. It doesn't have to be mentioned here really, republicans have politicized this topic for the last 2 years. I'll ask again as I have so many times before, do you republicans even listen to your representatives?? You even have Ron Paul saying in one of the debates how government shouldn't regulate automobile safety either because if enough people die in a particular model, people will stop buying it.

    Really, what planet are you people living on????

    • 2 votes
    #1.10 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:44 AM EST

    Don, these elderly people fell for this scam because dumb regulations are the norm. If there were no stupid regulations, do you think these poor people would have believed a @!$%#ty word about the Federal Governments preference of toilet paper?

      #1.11 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:11 AM EST
      Reply

      Just when I thought I had heard it all. If crooks could just use that ambition on creating a new product or getting a job.

        Reply#2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:14 PM EST

        You're right rjw007. You can't call them stupid, so these type of people who do this have to be bottom-feeding parasites. They must realize that if they used just half that work and ingenuity for good instead of bad, they'd make themselves rich legitimately. So they just WANT to hurt innocent people, plain and simple.

        • 2 votes
        #2.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:12 PM EST
        Reply

        Why are the FEDS prosecuting a fraud crime- normally a "state" issue and normally tried in local/state courts.

        There's more to this story than we're getting!

          Reply#3 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:13 PM EST

          Probably wire fraud is what made it federal

            #3.1 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 11:19 PM EST

            Why, are the Feds involved? Because if you held your breath waiting for the State of Florida to prosecute fraud, you would die of asphyxiation.

            • 2 votes
            #3.2 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 11:36 PM EST

            Why are the FEDS prosecuting a fraud crime- normally a "state" issue and normally tried in local/state courts.

            Mail and wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States.

            Why do you, even with internet access, not able to ascertain this for yourself in a matter of seconds?

            Why do you type out 10 times as much eluding to a conspiracy than the search string that would have given you your answer?

            Why has common-sense become nonsensical these days?

              #3.3 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:54 AM EST
              Reply

              OMG what a s....y deal

              • 3 votes
              Reply#4 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:19 PM EST

              does anyone really car about this simple crap .msnbc= most stories, nothing but crap. Is there any news available ? Just rotten hype to get You to look. News service ? Good bye world. Photocal

                Reply#5 - Sat Nov 26, 2011 11:05 PM EST

                So, listen to O'Reilly whine about high priced muffins on FOX !

                • 3 votes
                #5.1 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:11 AM EST

                You cared enough to read the article and comment on it....Yeah.

                  #5.2 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:10 AM EST
                  Reply

                  AG99, Don has a valid point. Any Republican OR Democrat can point to these regulations on business practices causing the unemployment of those three who were convicted. It wasn't Republican bashing by
                  Don. He simply feels these three should NOT be employed, as do I, and as you feel otherwise.

                    Reply#6 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:00 AM EST

                    AG99, Don has a valid point. Any Republican OR Democrat can point to these regulations on business practices causing the unemployment of those three who were convicted. It wasn't Republican bashing by
                    Don. He simply feels these three should NOT be employed, as do I, and as you feel otherwise.

                      Reply#7 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:00 AM EST

                      Everyone should get rid of their toilet paper and move to using the Three Sea Shells. It's just a coincidence that I just cornered the market in seashells. :)

                        Reply#8 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:41 AM EST
                        Reply

                        hey google, what's a septic tank?

                        • 1 vote
                        Reply#9 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:45 AM EST

                        What about prosecuting banker for dupping millions of Americans into absud fees, late charges and other theft from customers - and such practices as using falsified legal documents to foreclose mortgages, falsified documents to take people to court for not being able to pay when the banks caused the crisis by which they lost their jobs in the fist place. It seems - steal a pizza go to jail - defraud millions out of people, crash the economy and get a pat on the back and praise from Repbulicans. There is something very twisted about this.

                          Reply#10 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:00 AM EST

                          Class warfare?

                            Reply#11 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:14 AM EST

                            What about elder abuse? All they will get is a slap on the hand.

                            • 1 vote
                            Reply#12 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:42 AM EST

                            70 year supply of toilet paper, i see some old folks heading to a flea market to sale their wares...

                              Reply#13 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:30 AM EST

                              You gotta be sch*tting me!!!

                              • 1 vote
                              Reply#14 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:19 AM EST

                              Those scammers should be put in a septic tank that is almost full, up to their necks.

                              Those idiots that believed that thing about toilet paper need to be psychiatric evaluated.

                                Reply#15 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:56 AM EST

                                that's sh&*(^y!

                                  Reply#16 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:12 AM EST

                                  We should hold these guys in awe: awwwwwwe sh!t!

                                    Reply#17 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:10 AM EST

                                    These thugs need to supply monetary restitution to their victims, then give them some jail time.

                                      Reply#18 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:16 AM EST

                                      Hanging's too good fer' 'em!

                                        Reply#19 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:25 AM EST

                                        The magazine industry isn’t any different. They have many “agents” representing them with the primary purpose of “extending” the subscription length of their subscribers. I’ve heard of elderly subscribers with subscription expiration dates almost twenty years in the future. The magazine industry should also be investigated and laws passed limiting the expiration date to no more than three years in the future. As far as I’m concerned both these industries are “dirty” and need to be “flushed” down the toilet.

                                        • 2 votes
                                        Reply#20 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:29 AM EST

                                        Idiot!

                                          Reply#21 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:08 AM EST

                                          "The federal government does not regulate septic tank products." Well, there's a lost opportunity for Dumbocrats. How in the world can this country continue to function if the federal government doesn't regulate septic tank products??!!

                                            Reply#22 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:10 AM EST

                                            So, why the heck doesn't the government regulate toilet paper? It does regulate light bulbs. Come on guys, get off the crapper and start passing some more laws.

                                              Reply#23 - Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:24 AM EST
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