Greenwood Woman Pleads Guilty to Money Transmission Crime
2016-05-11 · Press release
Summary: Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Linda B. Massey, age 70, of Greenwood, pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Greenville, to operating an illegal money transmission business, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1960. United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks, of Charleston accepted the plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Contact Person: Bill Watkins (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Linda B. Massey, age 70, of Greenwood, pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Greenville, to operating an illegal money transmission business, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1960. United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks, of Charleston accepted the plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that a co-conspirator, who is currently believed to be residing on the Indian subcontinent, contacted Linda Massey and told her he needed someone in the US to open a bank account, receive payments, and send money to him in India. He told Massey she could keep 10 percent of the funds collected if she transmitted the 90 percent to him. He instructed her on creating a limited liability company known as Prime Technologies. She agreed to work with him.
Operatives from a call center in India then contacted American citizens over the telephone or through a pop-up advertisement appearing on victims’ computers, convinced them that their computers were infected with a virus, and then installed worthless or malicious software on the computers to “fix” the problem. The computer owners paid for these services by sending a check made out to Prime Technologies to an address controlled by Massey. Massey deposited the checks and wired a portion of the monies to India.
Law enforcement estimates that the losses to the victims exceed $500,000.
Mr. Nettles stated the maximum penalty Massey can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 5 years, plus a special assessment of $100.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office handled the case.
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- district_office
- District of South Carolina
- usa_name
- Bill Nettles
- event_type
- plea
- judge_name
- Bruce Howe Hendricks
- judge_title
- U.S. District Judge
- case_number
- max_penalty_text
- a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 5 years, plus a special assessment of $100
- sentence_summary
- money_amounts
- $500,000, $250,000, $100
- crypto_assets
- statutes_json
- ["18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1960"]
- timeline_json
- press_release_url
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/greenwood-woman-pleads-guilty-money-transmission-crime
- extras_json
| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2568 | Linda B. Massey | defendant | Greenwood, South Carolina | 70 | pleaded guilty | |||
| 2569 | Bill Nettles | prosecutor | United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Columbia, South Carolina | |||
| 2570 | Bruce Howe Hendricks | judge | United States District Judge | U.S. District Court | Charleston, South Carolina | |||
| 2571 | Bill Watkins | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Greenville, South Carolina |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1623 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | conducted the investigation into the illegal money transmission operation | ||
| 1624 | United States Attorney's Office | USAO | prosecution | Greenville office | Bill Watkins | handled the prosecution of the case |
| 1625 | U.S. Probation Office | sentencing support | prepared the presentence report for sentencing |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1350 | operating an illegal money transmission business | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | 5 years in prison | $250,000 | Linda B. Massey | pleaded guilty | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:43:15+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1306 | fine | $250,000 | USD | Maximum penalty fine | cash | Linda B. Massey | ordered |
| 1307 | special assessment | $100 | USD | Special assessment | cash | Linda B. Massey | ordered |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 396 | individual | American citizens tricked into paying for worthless or malicious software | $500,000 | United States | Victims paid for unnecessary software installations and services through fraudulent tech support scams |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2709 | Linda B. Massey, age 70, of Greenwood, pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Greenville, to operating an illegal money transmission business, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1960. | Bill Nettles | United States Attorney | U.S. Department of Justice | statement | Press release announcement | Announces the guilty plea of Linda B. Massey |
| 2710 | He told Massey she could keep 10 percent of the funds collected if she transmitted the 90 percent to him. | null | null | null | statement | Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing | Describes the financial arrangement between Massey and her co-conspirator |
| 2711 | The maximum penalty Massey can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 5 years, plus a special assessment of $100. | Bill Nettles | United States Attorney | U.S. Department of Justice | statement | Press release announcement | Outlines the potential penalties for Massey |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1847 | Illegal Money Transmission | Operating an unlicensed money transmission business to transfer funds to India for a fraudulent scheme. | Central charge under 18 U.S.C. § 1960, forming the basis of the criminal case. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | International | Recent development | Law enforcement, Financial institutions, Victims |
| 1848 | Fraudulent Schemes | Tech support scams involving fake virus warnings and installation of malicious software to extort payments from victims. | Core method used to generate illicit funds funneled through Massey's operation. | International | Recent development | Victims, Call center operatives, Financial institutions | |
| 1849 | Cybercrime | Use of pop-up advertisements and remote software installation to deceive victims into paying for fake services. | Technological means enabled the fraudulent scheme's execution. | International | Recent development | Victims, Cybercriminals, Law enforcement | |
| 1850 | Law Enforcement Investigations | Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation leading to prosecution and guilty plea. | Demonstrates enforcement of financial crime laws. | National | Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney's Office | ||
| 1851 | Financial Fraud | Victims lost over $500,000 through fraudulent payments to a fake company. | Highlights financial harm caused by the scheme. | National | Victims, Financial institutions |
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