PRESS RELEASE

 

United States Attorney Terrance P. Flynn announced today that Andrea Dawson, age 31, of Toronto, Canada, pled guilty before Hon. John T. Elfvin, United States District Judge to a felony Information, charging her with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, carrying a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000.00, or both.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gretchen L. Wylegala, who handled the case, stated that the defendant admitted guilt to her role in the smuggling of counterfeit Toronto Transit tokens from the United States into Canada. She admitted that, at the request of others in Canada, she traveled into the United States to meet with a person in Niagara Falls who had accepted delivery of the counterfeit tokens. She admitted putting several boxes into her car on three occasions, and then driving or planning to drive those boxes back over the border into Canada. An investigation undertaken by a team of Canadian law enforcement agencies indicates that over $10,000,000 in counterfeit tokens have been circulating in Toronto. Charges are pending in Canada against others involved in this scheme.

 

The plea was the culmination of an joint international and multi-agency investigation, headed locally by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge, Laurie Bennett.

 

Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. in front of Hon. John T. Elfvin, United States Judge.

# # #