Smithfield woman, daughter sentenced for sweepstakes fraud
PITTSBURGH – A Smithfield woman and her daughter were sentenced in U.S. District Court Wednesday for defrauding a sweepstakes operated by a Pittsburgh television station. Senior U.S. District Judge Maurice B. Cohill sentenced Alanna Ridenour, 46, of Smithfield to 12 months in prison and ordered her to pay $12,000 in restitution. Cohill sentenced Sonya Rosenberger, 28, of Bruceton, W.Va.,to 16 months in prison and ordered her to pay $95,500 in restitution.
According to information from Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Dembosky, Rosenberger repeatedly defrauded a WTAE-TV contest, “Watch 4 Win More,” between April 2002 and May 2004 by creating false contest claim forms on her computer with the winning contest number after the station had televised the number.
Rosenberger created winning forms for herself, her friends and her relatives, including her mother, for which WTAE paid out approximately $95,500.
Ridenour, in a separate indictment, obtained and manufactured false contest claim forms for her herself, her friends and her relatives between May 2003 and May 2004, for which WTAE paid Ridenour approximately $12,000 of the $95,500 total paid by the station.
Both Rosenberger and Ridenour arranged to receive a portion of the winnings obtained by their friends and family members who submitted fraudulent contest entries to the station.
To participate in the contest, viewers received a five-digit contest number from the station through the mail or by registering online.
The station then aired a broadcast briefly televising a winning five-digit number, and any viewer who held a validly issued winning number could call WTAE within a specific time period would win a cash prize of up to $10,000.
Viewers with winning numbers could claim their winnings by printing their entry form with the winning number and presenting the printed copy to the station. WTAE would then send contest winners a check via the U.S. Mail.
The Pittsburgh High Technology Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of the women. The task force is composed of agents and investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Allegheny County police, the City of Pittsburgh police, and the Pennsylvania State Police.