3 Vegas-area men to appeal lengthy US prison terms in $10M prize-notification fraud case

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Attorneys say three Nevada men will appeal lengthy federal prison terms they received after being found guilty of conducting a prize-notification scheme that prosecutors say bilked elderly and vulnerable victims out of more than $10 million over the course of eight years. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas `said Monday that Mario Castro was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to 20 years in prison. Miguel Castro got more than 19 years, and Jose Luis Mendez was sentenced to 14 years. Prosecutors say the operation mailed millions of fraudulent prize notices inviting victims to pay a fee of about $25 to claim large cash prizes.