In 2013, Ashley Lacerda was convicted of mail and wire fraud through the New Jersey based company, Vacation Ownership Group LLC. She was one of 5 defendants involved in the scheme offering counterfeit contracts to eradicate their clients’ loans.
All 5 were involved in defrauding hundreds of timeshare owners by offering falsified consulting services and even to the extent of acting as banks or their representatives, assuring their clients that their debt would be wiped for a one-off down payment of around half the value of their outstanding loan.
The jury, back in 2013 took only 2 days to deliberate the 7-week trial, but Ashley did not receive her sentence until last Friday for her role as vice president and chief operating officer. She has however spent the last 36 months behind bars, and when her sentence was heard on Friday, she broke down in tears. Her lawyer, Charles Nugent Jr., told ‘she has taken responsibility for her actions’, Ashley was the last of the employees to receive her sentence of 6 years. Her 36 months already served will be deducted from the full term.
Her husband, who was the company founder, was sentenced last year to 27 years, another former employee, director of compliance, in April this year to 18 years, and a further 3 employees for their association in the company received much lighter sentences between 12 and 42 months.
Unfortunately the timeshare industry is plagued with small companies such as this one that try to cheat timeshare owners out of their hard-earned cash. This story should remind us all to double check the credibility of a company that one is preparing to do business with. Never feel pressured into a sale, and if it looks like it is too good to be true, the chances are, it is.
To read more regarding this article see:
Timeshare Fraud – You will be caught
Former Timeshare Employees Sentenced
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk