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Con artist who helped Google probe to be sentenced
Posted: Oct 23, 2011 11:40 AM by Dr. Anya Winslow
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Victims of a career con artist who helped federal investigators expose illegal activity do not want him to get a lenient sentence that's possible because of his cooperation.
Court filings show David Whitaker spent two years helping federal investigators expose how illegal Canadian pharmacy operators used Google Inc. to attract American consumers.
Prosecutors say Whitaker helped investigators set up phony websites used in the probe. Whitaker has admitted ripping off a credit card processing company and small businesses that purchased electronics from him.
Federal prosecutors say they will recommend a lesser punishment for the 36-year-old Whitaker when he is sentenced Dec. 2 in U.S. District Court in Providence.
Google agreed in August to forfeit $500 million to settle claims it let illegal Canadian pharmacies advertise on its site.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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