Telemarketing Ring: Palm Harbor Men Plead Guilty, Avoid Jail

Two Palm Harbor men who pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with their roles in a telemarketing ring will not be going to jail.

Palm Harbor residents Stephen Grannan, 57, and Justin Kirk Jones, 45, were among 18 people indicted by the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

The men were accused of operating three companies that targeted victims who owned inexpensive, vacant land throughout the U.S. The telemarketing ring defrauded more than $2.8 million from people in 41 states, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

The scheme involved telemarketers who led property owners to believe that their land was worth up to 15 times its assessed value. The property owners were then told they had to pay fees ranging from $500 to nearly $16,000 to guarantee the sale of their land.

Grannan pleaded guilty to complicity to telecommunications fraud, which is a third-degree felony in Ohio. He also pleaded guilty to complicity to telemarketing fraud, which is a fifth-degree felony. Grannan was sentenced to community control, which is similar to probation and is used for felons when a judge does not sentence a prison term.

Jones pleaded guilty to complicity to telecommunications fraud, which is a third-degree felony in Ohio and complicity to grand theft, which is a fourth-degree felony. He was also sentenced to community control. 

According to state records, Jones has an active real estate license in the state of Florida. 

The ringleader, Theodore Thomas, 33, of Dunedin was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the crimes.

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• Palm Harbor Men Accused of Bilking Millions from Victims

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