Three people who allegedly ran a company that prosecutors say scammed nearly $44 million from elderly authors have been indicted, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
The federal indictment involves PageTurner, a purported book publishing business in Chula Vista that prosecutors say victimized more than 800 people from September 2017 until last month.
Authorities are also seeking more victims of the alleged email and phone scam.
Prosecutors said PageTurner’s representatives reached out to authors and made false claims that the company worked closely with major agents, film studios and streaming services and would help them to publish and promote their books or adapt them for films or television series.
Victims were allegedly convinced to send the company money, characterized as pre-payment of taxes and transaction fees. The company’s website, pageturner.us, has since been seized by the FBI.
Charged are Gemma Traya Austin, 58, of Chula Vista – who prosecutors say organized the schme and acted as the registered agent for the company – as well as Michael Cris Traya Sordilla, 32, and Bryan Navales Tarosa, 34, both of the Philippines.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Sordilla and Tarosa worked at a business outsourcing company, Innocentrix Philippines, and that its staffers reached out to victims through unsolicited calls or emails.
Sordilla and Tarosa were arrested Dec. 9 in San Diego, while Austin was arrested on Dec. 12 in Chula Vista. All three defendants face two charges each: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and in the case of the money laundering allegation, a fine of twice the amount laundered.
“What started with the promise of a Hollywood dream turned into a devastating nightmare for victims,” San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement. “Authors should stay vigilant, do their research, and think twice before giving money to anyone promising a blockbuster deal.”
Anyone who believes they might be a victim of the PageTurner scam was asked to contact the FBI at AuthorFraud@fbi.gov.
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