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Man accused of scamming Chesco man of more than $260,000

WEST CHESTER An international fugitive accused of scamming an elderly Chester County man out of more than $260,000 has been arrested in the Dominican Republic and deported to Pennsylvania to face charges, according to law enforcement officials.

 Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said Jack Mayer stole the money from an 84-year-old East Caln Township man by telling him he had won a $3.5 million sweepstakes, and needed to pay the taxes and fees before receiving his prize.

 Officials said Mayer's bank account indicated that he had stolen more than $1 million from senior citizens around the country.

 "When we reached out to these people, a couple of them don't want to believe it is a scam," Hogan said. "They are still waiting for their $3 million, $5 million, whatever he promised each one of them. It takes a black heart to pick on the elderly."

 Mayer, 42, was living in Florida when he allegedly targeted the man in Chester County by claiming to be from Town & Country Inc., a sweepstakes company. The victim sent six cashier's checks totaling $262,035 to Mayer and went to withdraw an additional $224,000 before the manager at his bank convinced him that he should go to the police, officials said.

 Downingtown police filed charges against Mayer in 2011, at which time he fled the country, Hogan said. With the help of the FBI and international authorities, police found that Mayer had traveled to England, France, and, eventually, the Dominican Republic, officials said.

 Hogan said the Chester County man might be able to recoup some of money, since he is the first alleged victim to come forward. Hogan has alerted the U.S. Attorney's Office about the case and said he hoped federal prosecutors would look into the potential victims in other states.

 "The clock is ticking, because all of these victims are elderly," Hogan said. "So this case really, at the national level, needs to be charged before they die."

 Mayer arrived at the Chester County Prison on Wednesday, Hogan said.

 "Coming from the Dominican Republic, our general message to him was, 'Welcome to Chester County. Enjoy the weather. You're going to be here for a while,' " Hogan said.

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