Telemarketing Fraud Ring: Dunedin Man Conned Millions, Authorities Say

A Dunedin man is accused of being the ringleader in a telemarketing scheme that reportedly stole millions of dollars from thousands of victims across 41 states since 2007, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

Pinellas Park Police arrested Theodore Sebastian Thomas, 32, of Ridgecrest Drive in Dunedin last Sunday, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

The grand jury indictment states that Thomas is among 18 people accused of operating three companies that targeted property owners of inexpensive, vacant land throughout the U.S. Telemarketers led property owners to believe that their land was worth up to 15 times its assessed value. The property owners were then told they had to pay fees ranging from $500 to nearly $16,000 to guarantee the sale of their land, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says.

Investigators say some victims were told that their land would be sold to buyers at lavish dinner shows in Las Vegas and other cities. The indictment also claims the suspects staged the dinner shows for use in promotional materials:

"…members of the enterprise would spend large amounts of money in a lavish party for themselves and their family members. The enterprise spent money buying food and drinks, renting limos, hiring a band and renting out a party hall. The 'dinner shows' were attended only by members of the enterprise and their relatives. No vacant land was actually advertised, marketed or sold at this event."

Pinellas County arrest records indicate Thomas has also lived in Largo and Palm Harbor since 2007.

Authorities also arrested and indicted Steve Grannan, 56, and Justin Jones, 45, both of Palm Harbor, in late June. 

The Ohio State Attorney General's Office is working to extradite all three men to Miami County, Ohio, to face felony charges, including money laundering, telecommunications fraud, aggravated theft, conspiracy, and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activities.

Authorities are still looking for two other suspects: Robert B. “Ben” Salafia, 27, of Clearwater and Michael Sweigart, 55, of St. Petersburg. 

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Salafia and Sweigart are asked to contact the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 1-855-BCI-OHIO.

The Ohio Attorney General's Office released the following descriptions about the wanted men:

• Robert Benjamin Salafia (nickname: Ben Salafia) is a white male born on March 26, 1985. He has brown hair and eyes, weighs about 200 pounds and stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall. He has a tattoo of his last name. His last known address is 2037 Edgewater Drive, Apt. No. 104, Clearwater. 
• Michael Eugene Sweigart is a white male born June 16, 1957. He has brown hair and eyes, weighs about 180 pounds and stands about 5 feet, 9 inches tall. His last known address is 3612 Burlington Ave N, St. Petersburg.