CHARLESTON, WV—United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that David Brandon Ball, 35, of Charleston, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for defrauding timeshare owners throughout the United States and Canada.

Ball and an associate, David Andrew Glynn, formed Mountain State Resales, LLC (MSR), a bogus company used to defraud timeshare owners of money. Ball and his associates told timeshare owners that MSR had a buyer for their timeshares and persuaded them to advance money to MSR in South Charleston to cover fees and expenses necessary for the sales.

In truth, however, MSR had no buyers for the timeshares. Ball knew that the timeshare owners would not receive anything in return for money sent to MSR.

In an unusual twist on their principal scam, Ball and his associates, including Glynn, also posed as “agents” eager to help timeshare owners who had lost money in other timeshare fraud schemes. In this spin-off scheme, they said they were affiliated with a non-existent organization named “Internal Revenue Recovery Associates” and were investigating timeshare fraud. Ball admitted that he and his coconspirators told the timeshare owners to send money to MSR to assist “agents” in recovering the lost funds.

“This guy was stealing money out of both pockets of timeshare owners,” said U.S. Attorney Goodwin. “He got rich by setting up fake timeshare sales, while at the same time posing as someone who could help fraud victims get their money back. It would be hard to believe if it weren’t true.”

“Protecting innocent citizens against fraud schemes like this is an important part of what my office does,” Goodwin continued. “I’m happy to say this crook is heading to federal prison.”

Neither MSR nor Internal Recovery Associates were legitimate businesses. Both were used to defraud timeshare owners. Ball admitted that MSR received at least $80,346 from the conspiracy.

Ball further admitted that in 2013, he operated a Florida-based company called International Transfers and Documents (International Transfers), which, like MSR, was created and used to defraud timeshare owners. This Florida scheme tricked victims out of more than $145,000.

Ball was ordered to pay restitution to the victims of both MSR and International Transfers in the amount of $210,920.25. Glynn previously pleaded guilty and received 30 months in federal prison for his role in the offense.

Ball’s sentence was handed down by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., in Charleston.

Today’s sentencing stems from an investigation being conducted by the West Virginia State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas is handling the prosecution.