Florida telemarketer sentenced

A Florida telemarketer has been sentenced to prison for five years for defrauding an elderly Columbia man. Charges against Thomas Francis Crossin say he and another man convinced Columbia resident Fred Faurot to send them almost 19-hundred dollars as so-called “entrance fees” to claim a 43-thousand-dollar cash prize. Faurot contacted the Attorney General’s office after the first payment. Later telephone calls asking for more money were recorded by the Attorney General’s staff.