Twelve years in prison for counterfeit coupons scandal

An American man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison this week for raising fake coupons to the level of art for causing $ 31 million in damage to several companies.

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Lori Ann Tolence, 41, is “one of the biggest bogus coupon scams in history,” prosecutors said.

Based on her experience in commerce, she “perfected her art”, and researchers had to resort to “experts to confirm the counterfeit nature of her works”, which they still write in documents paid for in the process.

At home, she created “Frankenstein” coupons by assembling product images, company logos, and valid barcodes on her computer. “The only suspicious aspect of his coupons is the amount of the reduction,” according to the documents, equal to or greater than the value of the products.

From 2017 to 2020, nicknamed the “Masterchef”, she recruited more than 2,000 clients online and sold her fake promotional coupons across the United States, raising a total of $ 400,000.

The loss to businesses is estimated at $ 31 million.

Coupon’s “enthusiast” contacted her on the web, however, alerting the police to end his small business. Her husband, who was responsible for sending the receipts, was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.

Discount coupons, “coupons” in English, have a special weight in the United States, where they have a passion beyond their financial virtues, dedicated websites, fan clubs and, in 2011, a reality show.