Boston man gets probation in bail fraud scheme

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Boston man who pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to cheat senior citizens out of cash by pretending to be a relative who's in jail and needs bail money has been sentenced to three years of probation, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

Julio Feliciano, 32, was also ordered to perform 150 hours of community service and repay his victims $31,500, according to a statement from Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman.

Feliciano and his accomplices last year used fake names to contact older residents of North Carolina, Delaware, Illinois, Tennessee and other states to tell them that cash payments ranging from $7,000 to $9,500 were required to secure the release of their grandson, nephew or other relative from jail, prosecutors said.

They asked the victims to send the packages containing cash to addresses in Rhode Island, including private homes, UPS stores and a pharmacy, where Feliciano would pick them up.

He pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.