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A Virginia Beach couple was sent to prison with a conviction of 20 years for getting more than $ 31 million dollars based on a fake coupon scheme .
The FBI revealed last week that investigators found fake coupons in every corner of the home of Lori Ann Talens and her husband, Pacifico Talens , Jr.
The counterfeit savings were valued at more than a million dollars . They also found coupon designs for more than 13, 000 products on Lori’s computer Ann Talens.
Authorities reported that Lori Ann trained herself in the different techniques that are necessary to manipulate barcodes to make coupons work , according to FBI Special Agent Shannon Brill in an official statement.
Talen, who is considered the brain of the band, created fake coupons with discounts “close to or even higher” than the sale value of an item .
The FBI said the coupons were sold to subscribers who contacted her on social media and communicated with them through an encrypted messaging app.
Telens received more than $ 125, 000 dollars in digital currencies like bitcoin and sometimes “exchanged coupons for stolen rolls of special paper that stores use to print coupons, ”said the agency.
After an investigation of more than 3 years the fraud scheme was discovered by the Coupon Information Corporation after receiving a notice from a person who reported that Talens was manufacturing and mailing fraudulent coupons . A group of manufacturers reported losing $ 125, 000 dollars for fake coupons linked to Talens.
In September, Talens was sentenced to 12 years in prison for “perpetrating a plot of fake coupon fraud ”resulting in losses of $ 80 million dollars to retailers and manufacturers, according to the Justice Department.
For his part, her husband was sentenced to 7 years in prison because he knew about the fraud scheme and nevertheless profited from it.
The couple was accused of using the money to renovate their home with luxury items in addition to building a new pool and remodeling their kitchen.
In a statement obtained by the New York Times Talens newspaper, she said she was “deeply ashamed and embarrassed” by her actions.
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