Scammer makes $6 billion in website scam

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A warrant has been issued for a Mesa man in connection with his role in a Web site scam that bilked 3,000 people out of $6 million by falsely promoting GPS tracking devices during a two-year period.

Chester Frank Bissett, 56, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and transactional money laundering, was scheduled to be sentenced in U.S District Court on Monday, but failed to show up. The warrant was issued for his arrest after Paul David Angel, 34, of Gilbert, who pleaded guilty to the same fraud-related offenses as Bissett, was sentenced on Monday to 70 months in federal prison and three years of supervised probation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

From April 2002 to September 2004, Bissett and Angel operated under various business titles including net direct Sites, net directing marketing and direct-track marketing, and enlisted distributors to purchase Web sites ranging from $300 to $2,500 to promote the selling of GPS devices, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

After defrauding the victims with the initial sale of a Web site, Angel and Bissett further solicited victims through a bogus advertising program which solicitors used to lure the distributors into buying extra advertising for as much as $7,500, but falsely represented the amount of sales.