ATLANTA - Detrick Mattox, who operated numerous fraudulent work-from-home businesses has been sentenced to over two years in prison for conspiring to commit mail fraud.
“This scheme was designed for one simple purpose - to swindle people out of their hard-earned money through lies and deceit," said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “Mattox preyed on folks just trying to earn a living. Now he’s going to prison."
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has no shortage of work-at-home schemes to investigate. This is just another example of the defendant’s greed preying on the public’s need to earn an honest living. Consumers should be suspicious of any offer that does not pay a regular salary because if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," said Keith Morris, Postal Inspector in Charge for the Atlanta Division.
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Mattox ran numerous businesses that purported to offer its members work-from-home opportunities, including: Atlanta’s Mailing Company; Atlantis Mailing Company; Brown Staffing Services; Central Mailing Company; Detrick Mattox Enterprises; Georgia Assembly Company; Global Assembly Company; Global Mailing Enterprises; Jobs R US; National Assembly Company; Nationwide Express Mailing; Pacific Mailing Company; Premiere Mailing Company, and Regional Assembly Company.
Mattox promoted his work-from-home businesses by claiming that members who applied for the program and then paid an initiation fee would be able to work from their homes and earn up to $5,000 per week. The members were supposed to assemble materials into booklets and mail the booklets to the addresses provided by Mattox. He also claimed that members could earn up to $20 for each booklet that they assembled and mailed. To join the program, prospective members had to pay Mattox an up-front initiation fee of approximately $50 to $500. He typically instructed prospective members to pay the initiation fee by mailing a money order to one of the named businesses.
Once the initiation fee was paid, the majority of the members never received any materials to assemble for their work-from-home businesses. The few members who did receive materials from Mattox, and assembled and then mailed those materials, were never paid for their services. After Mattox received a member’s initiation fee, virtually all attempts by the member to contact the work-from-home businesses were ignored. Finally, to avoid consumer complaints and negative public information, Mattox frequently changed the names, websites, and contact information of the work-from-home businesses.
According to an affidavit submitted in support of a search warrant obtained in the case, more than 200 people responded to advertisements by Mattox and became members. Thereafter, a Postal Inspector conducted an undercover investigation, responding to Internet advertisements posted by Mattox, but never received the promised materials after sending payment.
Mattox, 33, of Ellenwood, Ga., was sentenced to 2 years 9 months of in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. He was convicted of the charges on March 18, 2013, upon his plea of guilty.
This case was investigated by Inspectors of the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey W. Davis prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
