Las Vegas man defrauded PAC donors; pleads guilty, prosecutors say

A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty to a federal fraud-related charge in New York after he used his telemarketing call center business to defraud PAC donors, federal prosecutors announced.

Richard Zeitlin, 54, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced in a news release.

“Richard Zeitlin used his telemarketing business to deceive donors into believing they were contributing to charitable causes when, in reality, their money was diverted to political action committees,” said Damiam Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement. “Zeitlin’s fraudulent actions not only undermined the trust of donors but also exploited their goodwill for personal gain.”

Prosecutors said in the release that the defrauding of donors happened from at least 2017 to 2020.

Last August, the Review-Journal reported that a federal judge refused to release Zeitlin a day after he was arrested in connection with the case.

The longtime operator of Zeitlin Call Centers was arrested the same day FBI agents raided his multimillion-dollar home in Las Vegas.

The telemarketer’s fundraising network raised millions for PACs and charities, but spent little, if any, on their purported causes, according to a 2019 investigation by a journalism nonprofit.

Zeitlin faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, the news release said.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.