BENTONVILLE -- A Bentonville man was sentenced to three years in prison after he scammed thousands of dollars in a phony Publishers Clearinghouse scheme.
Gary Wayne Parent, 51, pleaded guilty Monday to felony theft of property. He was arrested Jan. 14.
Parent was sentenced to three years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. He must abide by a suspended sentence for seven years after his release from prison. He must pay $1,920 in court costs and $17,790 in restitution.
Bentonville police began investigating after a complaint in June 2015. A woman in Story said her husband had been scammed out of money.
The woman said he received a telephone call saying he won a prize package from Publishers Clearinghouse. He was told to send $495 through Wal-Mart to Deanna Clark in Bentonville, according to a probable cause affidavit. The man sent $200 to Clark through Wal-Mart, and he sent another $300 to her through Western Union, according to the affidavit.
Bentonville police identified several others who sent money after they received similar calls.
A woman in Mobile, Ala., reported she was told she won $3.3 million and a new vehicle. To collect the prizes she had to send $100 for state taxes and $299 for fees to cross state lines, according to the affidavit. The woman sent the money via a MoneyGram from Wal-Mart. The woman was then contacted by a man named "Don" and told she needed to send another $250 to Jamaica to pay federal taxes in that country, according to court documents.
Don called her again and asked for another $250, but the Alabama woman became suspicious. She called police and learned she was scammed.
Police discovered a Cleveland, Ga., man sent $408 to Parent after he received a call saying he won $1.7 million and a vehicle. The man told police he was instructed to send the money to Parent and also to send $250 to Bonnie Clark, according to court documents.
A Yacolt, Wash., woman told police she sent $1,600 to Parent after she received a call saying she won $1 million and a vehicle.
Police discovered Parent received $13,347 from 14 people across the country since June 2015. Deanna Clark received $700 from four people through Wal-Mart, the affidavit states.
Documents from Western Union showed Parent received $1,158 from different people from April to December 2015. Sandra Clark received $1,250 from a person in Missouri and Deanna Clark received $4,989 from people across the county, according to court documents.
Circuit Judge Robin Green accepted the plea agreement and Parent's guilty pleas.
The cases against Bonnie Clark, Deanna Clark and Sandra Clark haven't been resolved.
NW News on 06/23/2016