Man made over $86,000 defrauding inmates, families

A man who allegedly defrauded federal inmates and their families of $86,500 has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the scheme.
Marvin Lewis, a.k.a. Mark Lewis, was indicted in U.S. District Court in London Sept. 11 on seven counts of mail fraud. According to the indictment, Lewis would identify federal inmates lodged in the eastern district of Kentucky, and then contact them through the mail, usually sending them a newsletter that solicited payments for a company called National Legal Services Network, Inc. The company promised to provide post-conviction legal services and promised it could “get the inmates’ prison sentence reduced, remanded or vacated.”
“As part of the scheme and artifice to defraud, Lewis made material misrepresentations regarding, among others, the educational background and experience of individuals employed by the National Legal Services Network, Inc., Lewis’s prior background in handling post-conviction claims, and the prior success of his previous company in reducing or vacating the sentence of numerous federal inmates,” the indictment reads.
The indictment goes on to claim that Lewis failed to inform his potential clients and their families that he himself is a convicted felon and has served time in federal prison, has no formal legal training, is not a licensed attorney, and is not “authorized to make legal filings on behalf of other individuals.”
Investigators claim the scheme took place from January 2007 through November 2007 and that Lewis accepted approximately 30 payments for unperformed legal services. His solicitations affected inmates Laurel, Clay, McCreary Counties and elsewhere.
U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Robert Weir issued an arrest warrant for Lewis Sept. 11.
If convicted, Lewis could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and be forced to pay restitution.