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A mother of three in Virginia, Lori Ann Talens, was working from a desktop computer in her home in Virginia, attracting little attention. Not many people knew she ran one of the largest fraudulent coupon programs in history. For over three years, Ms Talens has been creating fake coupons and selling them to coupon enthusiasts through social media or messaging apps. Now the jig is in place.
Ms Talens, 41, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Tuesday for carrying out what prosecutors called “one of the biggest coupon fraud schemes” in US history, claiming that it cost retailers and manufacturers over $ 31 million in losses.
From April 2017 to May 2020, Ms Talens used the nickname “MasterChef” to design, create and produce a variety of counterfeit coupons at her home, prosecutors said. The counterfeits, they said, were extremely credible.
“These counterfeit coupons were virtually indistinguishable from genuine coupons and were often created with inflated values, far beyond what a genuine coupon would offer, in order to receive retail items for free or at a significantly reduced price. “Joseph L. Kosky, a deputy US attorney, wrote in court documents.
In addition to mail fraud, Ms Talens also pleaded guilty to electronic fraud and healthcare fraud resulting from a separate program of defrauding Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance program from November 2015 to February 2020.
Johnny Diaz for The New York Times
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