Father and daughter charged with $70m fraud on 15,000 BritonsSome 15,000 Britons are believed to have fallen for a fake shares scheme which netted millions of dollars, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. charges unveiled in Florida yesterday. The American father and daughter team behind the scheme face more than 100 years in prison if found guilty on charges of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. , as well as possible fines of double the $70m (£34.5m) they are alleged to have taken from their mainly elderly victims. Paul Robert Paul Charles Jules Robert (19 October 1910, Orléansville, French Algeria - 11 August 1980, Mougins, Alpes-Maritimes, France), usually called Paul Robert, was a French lexicographer and publisher, best-known for his large Gunter, 58, and Zibiah Joy Gunter, 25, were charged in Tampa, Florida “Tampa” redirects here. For other uses, see Tampa (disambiguation). Tampa is a United States city in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County.GR6. following an investigation by the US authorities and what US reports called "the London Police Department". British officials said the pair mounted a "boiler-room fraud" selling shares in 50 shell companies. In 2005, according to the criminal complaint, the pair "hijacked the identities of dormant, publicly traded companies publicly traded company A company whose shares of common stock are held by the public and are available for purchase by investors. The shares of publicly traded firms are bought and sold on the organized exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. ". They sold bogus stock and shares to individuals in the UK, using "high pressure and misleading sales techniques". "This is part of an ongoing investigation into a mass marketing crime scam known as boiler room boiler room n. a telephone bank operation in which fast-talking telemarketers or campaigners attempt to sell stock, services, goods, or candidates and act as if they are calling from an established company or brokerage. fraud," deputy chief inspector Robert Wishart of the City of London police's money laundering unit said in a statement. "Thousands of British people have fallen victim to this crime - in this inquiry alone, we estimate that 15,000 mostly elderly people have lost money." Boiler room refers to the temporary space from which fake stockbrokers call clients, whose names are often culled from records at Companies House in London, to sell them shares in non-existent or dormant companies. The pitch includes a promise the price of shares is about to rise because of some impending im·pend intr.v. im·pend·ed, im·pend·ing, im·pends 1. To be about to occur: Her retirement is impending. 2. discovery. In the latest indication that those involved in allegedly illicit or criminal activity would be well advised to stay away from networking internet sites, Zibiah Gunter's MySpace page, last updated yesterday, states that her mood is "happy" and promises that, "CutiePie is going to have a great day!!!!!" Instead, she was arrested yesterday morning at the home she shares with her father in Oldsmar, Florida. 
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