Irfan Gill, a Portage man involved in an international telemarketing scam, has been sentenced to eight years in prison following his convictions for mail fraud and money laundering. Gill was also ordered to pay restitution of $561,980.27 to the victims of his scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten, Gill operated a fraudulent telemarketing operation that targeted over 1,500 mostly elderly individuals across the United States. Victims were deceived into paying for non-existent cable and satellite television upgrades and subscription discounts.
Gill collaborated with a call center in Pakistan, where callers convinced victims to mail checks and money orders to post office boxes in Portage. Once he received the payments, Gill deposited the funds into bank accounts linked to fake companies, including names such as Cable Upgrade, Dish, and D Tech.
Gill evaded detection by using multiple post office boxes and bank accounts under fictitious company names. Additionally, he fraudulently claimed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for a non-existent company during the COVID-19 pandemic, obtaining over $20,000 in funds that were not intended for him.
The U.S. Department of Justice emphasized the devastating impact of this scam on vulnerable, elderly victims. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten stated, “Irfan Gill preyed on older Americans to pad his own pocket, leaving victims scared and ruined.”
