Prison Sentence in Mass Marketing Fraud Case Highlights the Work of the Atlantic Partnership Against Cross-border Fraud

Ottawa, November 30, 2009 — Owing to the work of members of the Atlantic Partnership Against Cross-border Fraud, two individuals involved in cross-border mass marketing fraud have been sentenced to serve time in prison. Earl Lawrey Matthews, a U.S. citizen, and Reyanne Briand, formerly of Newfoundland, received three-year prison sentences for fraud-related offences, and a sentence of six-months for possession of stolen property, to be served concurrently. Their company, Aid4Families, advertised on the Internet and guaranteed exorbitant monthly returns to investors. The investigation revealed that the pair's endeavours netted them upwards of $500,000 from U.S. residents.

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