PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – An Arizona man sold big promises of big profits to dozens of people across the country, but the paydays never happened. Now Robert Contreras and his companies are on the hook for $1.4 million in restitution and fines, 3 On Your Side has learned.
Richard Worden, a missionary who lives in Long Beach, California, is one of the alleged victims. He needed money for a project in Africa. When he was told he could make money by selling items online, he agreed to front cash for a new business venture. “Clothing and shoes. You could pick whatever you want, I was told,” Worden recalled. “I had no idea what it cost to build a website and get the products and everything else on there, so every time I turned around, they needed another $10,000.”
There was technically a website, but it was not the money-maker Worden was promised. “I almost threw up when I saw it,” he said. “At that point, I had used all of our retirement money.” Worden’s loss totaled about $45,000. He filed a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. He wasn’t the only one. “There were victims all over the country,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich told 3 On Your Side.
According to a civil lawsuit filed against Robert Contreras and his companies — Publishertech LLC, Publisher Wealth Corporation, and Upstarter, LLC — consumers were solicited over the phone. The caller was “offering to sell a business opportunity claiming that consumers could earn a substantial…
