Canadian man sentenced for bilking US victims out of $18M

LOS ANGELES – A Canadian con man who bilked at least 60,000 U.S. residents through a cross-border telemarketing scheme has been sentenced to federal prison.

A judge in Los Angeles sentenced Mark Wilson on Monday to more than 11 years behind bars.

Prosecutors say the Vancouver man targeted mainly the elderly with a scheme that sold them a non-existent credit card protection service. The victims were charged about $300 for phoney protection against — ironically — fraudulent credit card charges.

Authorities say the scam raked in about $18 million from people in 37 states.

Prosecutors say Wilson funded a lavish lifestyle that included luxury boats, a fleet of cars, Las Vegas gambling jaunts and an offshore bank account in the South Pacific.

In March, Wilson was convicted of mail and wire fraud.