Vending Biz-Op Scheme

[West Coast Vend LLC]

Hot off the press, THE VENDING TIMES

Issue Date: Vol. 49, No.7, July 2009, Posted On: 7/1/2009

Florida Man Is Indicted In Connection With Vending Biz-Op Scheme

by Staff Reporter

vending, vending business, vending route, vending business, vending news, automatic retailing, biz-op, coin machine, coin-operated, coin-op, vending scam, Mark Miller, Site Selectors, Five-Star Vending, Markland Group, Break Time Vending, Tony West, a fraudulent vending machine business, blue sky

TAMPA, FL -- A federal grand jury here has charged a Florida man with criminal contempt of a federal court order in connection with the operation of a fraudulent vending machine business opportunity.

The U.S. Justice Department said the indictment returned by the grand jury alleges that Mark Miller, 40, of Maitland, FL, fraudulently marketed and sold business opportunities nationwide under the names Site Selectors Inc., Five-Star Vending Inc., Markland Group Inc. and Break Time Vending.

Miller and his representatives purportedly told customers that, for purchase prices of $2,500 or more, they would receive snack and drink vending machines that could be placed in profitable locations through Miller's locating services.

Miller was subject to a 2003 federal court order that, among other things, banned him from selling business ventures, forbade misrepresentations in the sale of such ventures (should he decide to violate the ban), and required that he monitor his salespeople to ensure they made no misrepresentations.

According to the indictment, Miller violated this order by selling vending machine business ventures out of Seminole and Orange Counties in Florida from April 2005 through April 2007, making various misrepresentations when he sold the ventures, and using an alias to do so. His violations allegedly cost consumers more than $450,000.

The indictment further alleges that Miller's customers complained to him and his representatives about not receiving the vending machines or locating services they had purchased. He allegedly refused to give refunds and instead told, and instructed employees to tell complaining customers, false stories about the reasons that he did not provide the promised business ventures.

Miller is charged with seven felony counts of criminal contempt. If convicted, he faces imprisonment and a possible fine. Tony West, an assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Division, said the department has charged over 100 individuals with business opportunity-related felonies over the past five years. Many of these involved vending programs.

[antoniocinisi]

I hope he gets raped by a hung deaf man in prison

[tooldini]

LOL that would be too nice.

[Jax Snacks]

Lets' get some locators in that cell with him!  Nice to see the legal system helping out the honest vendors for a change.

Jax

[G-man422]

Glad this guy got what he deserved.  I do feel sorry for those who dealt with him.