Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Richard Zeitlin has been sentenced to 121 months in prison. Zeitlin, who owned a telemarketing call center business, was found guilty of leading a scheme to defraud donors of certain political action committees (PACs) through deceptive fundraising calls. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan following Zeitlin's guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on September 10, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated: "Richard Zeitlin’s actions represent a profound breach of trust, as represented by today’s sentencing. The integrity of donor contributions is essential, and this Office will continue to pursue justice against those who undermine it."
According to court documents and statements made in court, from around 2017 to 2020, Zeitlin used his telemarketing business and related entities to mislead donors about how their money would be spent and the nature of the organizations they were supporting. He instructed employees to alter call scripts so potential donors would believe they were donating to direct-services organizations (charities) rather than PACs. This deception increased donations and profits for his businesses, which typically retained about 90% of the funds donated. In some cases, Zeitlin's businesses kept all the funds with none going to the intended causes.
When confronted by a PAC treasurer regarding complaints from donors about misleading calls, Zeitlin denied such calls were being made and refused to provide call recordings that could have exposed his fraud.
Zeitlin also lied under oath during a December 2020 deposition in connection with a federal civil matter. He falsely claimed neither he nor his employees influenced call scripts used for fundraising on behalf of PACs. In reality, he frequently altered scripts with false information. In March 2022, he filed a false declaration denying control over certain business entities when he actually maintained authority over them.
In May 2022, after learning about a federal investigation into his activities, Zeitlin directed employees to delete electronic messages related to his businesses.
In addition to his prison sentence, Zeitlin received five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $8,906,760 in forfeiture and restitution—an amount equal to his proceeds from the crime.
Mr. Williams commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their investigative work on this case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane Kim, Emily Deininger, and Rebecca T. Dell from the Public Corruption Unit.