Phony ‘bail-bondsman’ said $$ needed to bail out grandchildren, couldn’t tell others due to ‘gag order’
by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First
A Los Angeles area man pleaded guilty in federal court in Burlington on Monday to being part of a scam that took at least $636,000 from unsuspecting grandparents that thought they were bailing out their grandchild from legal problems.
William T. Comfort, 28, admitted to two felony charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering between April 2022 and June 2022 in Vermont and other states.
Under the plea agreement, Comfort agreed to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes in an amount to be determined by the court, but not less than $636,000, Senior Federal Judge William K. Sessions III said.
The Homeland Security Investigations in Vermont determined there were fraud cases committed throughout the United States as part of the conspiracy. At least 15 victims have been identified in Vermont.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathanael Burris explained Monday the conspirators would set up shop for a week or so in a state and start working the phones seeking elderly victims. A person, pretending to be a lawyer or some other legal official, would call to report their grandchild was in legal problems.
The caller explained that between $7,000 and $30,000 was needed to bail out the grandchild. A person posing as a bail bondsman would work with the grandparent to collect the money, Burris said.
The caller also would explain that there was “a gag order” in the court case and the grandparent should say nothing to anybody or their grandchild would face additional consequences, Burris said.
Comfort posed as a bail bondsman in some cases. He would get 10% of what money he collected, Burris said.
News reports show that Comfort was arrested for fraud charges in Colonie, New York, a year ago.
Police said Comfort was a suspect in a similar scam in the Capital Region of Albany, New York.
Comfort also had an arrest warrant for a similar scam in the Wausau, Wisconsin, area between May 6 and May 11, 2022, records show. Court documents in Wisconsin indicated Comfort posed as both a lawyer and a bail bondsman, according to news reports.
Comfort also was facing charges in two other Wisconsin counties, news accounts noted.
Judge Sessions agreed to allow Comfort to remain in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service in Vermont pending sentencing. Sessions ordered a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office and set the date for Oct. 16.
Each crime carries up to a 20-year prison sentence. The money laundering count also has a fine of up to $500,000, while the conspiracy charge also has a fine up to $250,000, Sessions explained.