BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Men in golf...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Men in golf scheme convicted of fraud

A federal jury on Thursday found two Costa Mesa men guilty of

operating a telemarketing scheme that defrauded golfers out of more

than $5 million.

Rick Winters, 52 and Marvin Walker, 47, were each convicted of

four counts of wire fraud and four counts of mail fraud. The trial

lasted four weeks, and the jury deliberated for about two days.

Another defendant, 44-year-old Glenn Totten of Thousand Oaks, was

also convicted.

Telemarketers acting on behalf of Professional Golf Products

solicited golfers to participate in the company’s test play program

in which golfers could try high-quality golf clubs for 60 days with

no financial obligation.

The company asked for a deposit, usually between $1,000 and

$1,600. But many golfers did not receive their deposits back because

they did not follow “onerous” return conditions, officials said.

Winters and Walker worked in boiler rooms in Santa Ana and

Fountain Valley, respectively, officials said. Six other defendants

have already pleaded guilty in this case.

All three are scheduled to be sentenced March 8. Each count of

wire fraud and mail fraud carries a maximum of 10 years in federal

prison.

-- Deepa Bharath