Former Ataris bassist faces 30-year sentence for $27M telemarketing scam
[Photo by: The Ataris/Instagram]
Michael Davenport, former bassist for pop-punk band the Ataris and a member of Versus The World, currently faces a 30-year prison sentence after being accused of federal fraud charges, according to reports. The musician (pictured above, far left) reputedly cheated thousands of people out of a total $27 million over seven years.
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As pointed out by TrackRecord, Davenport—who performed with the Ataris from 1998 to 2005, and participated in 2013 and 2014 reunions—was indicted last month on charges of “allegedly operating a nationwide telemarketing real estate scam that cheated approximately 100,000 people out of $27 million between 2009 and 2016,” per reporting from the Santa Barbara Independent. Both Davenport and associate Cynthia Rawlinson were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. Each could see more than 30 years in prison.
The pair's scam apparently involved posting ads on Craigslist for affordable “pre-foreclosure” houses but with little additional information. When someone responded to the ad, they would request a $199 fee to access the property information. Davenport and Rawlinson, operating under the name American Standard, reportedly then told customers they “could purchase the houses by simply taking over the homeowners' mortgage payments, and the deeds to these homes would then be transferred into the customers' names,” according to the language included in the indictment.
Prosecutors allege that victims would soon find the homes in question weren't for sale or simply didn't exist. If they asked for their money back, victims would get a runaround from American Standard about having to wait 90 days to mail a refund request along with documentation from the property owners proving the home was incorrectly listed. Even then, per the prosecution, refunds weren't provided. The indictment lists Davenport as the owner of American Standard, with Rawlinson as a sales manager. Two locations for the company were raided by FBI agents in October 2016.
Davenport was arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas, in December. Over $104,000 in cash was seized from him, and an additional $850,000 from his bank accounts is reportedly in the process of being seized. He and Rawlinson are scheduled for an arraignment tomorrow, Jan. 17.
