U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. Elliot Phillip Rosenberg
Closed Criminal Division Cases
United States v. Elliot Phillip Rosenberg
Court Docket Number: 3:14-cr-00121-MOC-DCK (W.D. of North Carolina)
Court Assigned: This case is assigned to Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, at United States Courthouse, 401 W. Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.
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Criminal Charges: On June 17, 2014, Elliot Phillip Rosenberg, a citizen of the United States and a legal foreign resident of Costa Rica and the owner and manager of two sweepstakes telemarketing call centers in Costa Rica, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud (Count 1: 18 U.S.C. § 1349), two counts of mail fraud (Counts 2 & 3: 18 U.S.C. § 1341), seven counts of wire fraud (Counts 4-10: 18 U.S.C. § 1343), one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering (Count 11: 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)), and six counts of international money laundering (Count 12-17: 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A)), all in connection with a Costa Rican telemarketing fraud scheme.
According to the indictment, beginning in or about 2010, Rosenberg owned and managed one or more call centers in Costa Rica engaged in a sweepstakes scheme directed at individuals residing in the United States. Rosenberg and his co-conspirators fraudulently induced victims to pay thousands of dollars by falsely representing that the victims had won valuable prizes. Rosenberg and his co-conspirators would continue to call and insist that additional payments be made for new fees until an individual either ran out of money or discovered the fraudulent nature of the scheme.
If you elect to obtain counsel to represent your interests in accordance with the Justice for All Act of 2004, please have your attorney notify this office in writing at: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Bond Building, Room 4416, Washington, DC 20530, Attention: Victim Witness Unit; (202) 514-3708 (fax). If you elect not to retain counsel to represent your interests you do not need to do anything.
For more information about the charges, please see below:
Related case: U.S. v. Dino Nastasi, et al. Court Docket Number: 3:15-cr-00213-FDW-DCK
The information on this website will be updated as new developments arise in the case. If you have any questions, please call the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.
Presumption of Innocence: It is important to keep in mind that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and that presumption requires both the court and our office to take certain steps to ensure that justice is served.
Crime Victims’ Rights Act and Right to Retain Counsel: The Crime Victims’ Rights Act (18 U.S.C. § 3771) applies only to victims of the counts charged in federal court, and thus individuals may not be able to exercise all of these rights if the crime of which the individual is a victim was not charged. Section 377I(c)(2) of this Act requires that we advise you that you have the right to retain counsel. Although the statute specifically sets forth your right to seek advice of an attorney with regard to your rights under the statute, there is no requirement that you retain counsel. The Government may not recommend any specific counsel, nor can the Government (or the Court) pay for counsel to represent you. Government attorneys represent the United States.
If you elect to obtain counsel to represent your interests, please have your attorney notify this office in writing at: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Bond Building, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20530, Attention: Victim Witness Unit; fax: (202) 514-3708; or email: victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. If you elect not to retain counsel to represent your interests, you do not need to do anything.
Plea Agreements: Please be aware that many criminal cases are resolved by plea agreement between the Department of Justice and the defendant. You should also know that it is not unusual for a defendant to seek to negotiate a plea agreement shortly before trial is scheduled to begin. Plea agreements can be made at any time and as late as the morning of trial, leaving little or no opportunity to provide notice to you of the date and time of the plea hearing. If the court schedules a plea hearing in this case, we will use our best efforts to notify you of available information as soon as practicable. If you want to inform the prosecutor of your views regarding potential plea agreements, or any other aspect of the case, please contact the prosecutor assigned to this case or call the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.