Dan Wickline, 62, was sentenced to 18 months in prison while his son Chad Wickline, 34, received a 30-month sentence

Dan Wickline, 62, was sentenced to 18 months in prison while his son Chad Wickline, 34, received a 30-month sentence. Both men last July put an end to an ongoing trial by pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Columbus to a count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Chad Wickline also pleaded guilty to a count of mail fraud.
The men worked through Liberty Resources, which marketed debt-elimination services over the Internet. Liberty charged a fee to help consumers get out from under credit card debt and they received documents from the business claiming that the debt had been eliminated by the program, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.But when customers stopped paying on their credit cards, thinking their debt was cleared, card issuers sued them for payment. Some filed for bankruptcy, the government said.
As part of Friday’s sentencing, the men are required to pay restitution to victims along with federal income taxes plus interest and penalties on money they received between 2002 and 2006, when the government said the fraud took place.The two were indicted in 2007 following an investigation by the IRS, Postal Service and attorney’s office. Three other people tied to Liberty have since entered guilty pleas and been sentenced.