Newport Beach Man Held in Investigation

A task force targeting telemarketing fraud in Orange County has arrested a Newport Beach man as part of its investigation into a boiler-room operation that preyed on elderly victims under the guise of the Nation’s Missing Children. Wayne Lewis Guenther, 31, was being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond after his initial appearance in federal court in Santa Ana, where he pleaded not guilty to a complaint accusing him of mail and wire fraud for allegedly seeking money with promises of huge cash prizes that never existed. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8. The complaint alleges that he bilked victims nationwide of $2,500, but that figure “will grow substantially” as investigators review records seized in raids of his home and business, said Asst. U.S. Atty. S. Robert Raskin.