‘Inconceivable’: Telemarketing ‘scam PAC’ tycoon bemoans his ‘intolerable’ jail conditions

Telemarketing tycoon Richard Zeitlin, who could spend the rest of his life in prison for allegedly defrauding untold numbers of political and charitable donors, is begging a federal judge to free him from what his lawyer describes as “intolerable” pretrial jail conditions.

The conditions at New York City’s Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., are so dire that they “substantially impair [Zeitlin’s] ability to prepare for trial,” attorney Joshua L. Dratel wrote January 2 to U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.

Dratel cites terrible food, inadequate phone and computer access, lack of access to Advil for back pain, a facility lockdown and an inability to obtain new T-shirts and underwear from the jail commissary.

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Prison officials’ use of “mace or pepper spray” to stop a recent inmate altercation also proved problematic.

“Mr. Zeitlin, who has asthma, was adversely affected by those fumes, which wafted into his cell,” Dratel wrote to Kaplan, who added that safety concerns have been a “source of mental distress” to his client.

Kaplan continued that it is “inconceivable how Mr. Zeitlin can, under the circumstances present at MDC, perform his necessary review of the discovery, and provide substantive and meaningful comment to counsel in a timely manner. Since trial is only three months away, it is respectfully submitted that this situation constitutes a crisis.”

Zeitlin is willing to comply with “whatever strict supervision the Court deems necessary,” including “electronic monitoring, home detention, frequent reporting, living with a family member, and/or any other conditions the Court would impose,” Dratel wrote.

Zeitlin’s jail situation is a massive departure from the luxurious life that, until recently, he lived in Las Vegas. He owned a multi-million-dollar home and was the part-owner of a plane.

Zeitlin, 53, faces decades in prison for allegedly defrauding hundreds of thousands of political and charitable donors and prospective donors.

In responding to telemarketing solicitations, untold numbers of people believed they were contributing to heartstring-tugging causes such as children with cancer and struggling military veterans. Instead, a network of “scam PACs,” sham charities and consulting firms run by or connected to Zeitlin pocketed most of the money, the Center for Public Integrity revealed in a 2019 investigation.

The recent HBO documentary series “Telemarketers” also prominently featured Zeitlin’s activities.

Zeitlin and co-defendant Robert Piaro, who operated four Zeitlin-connected political action committees, “exploited these important causes and the good intentions of everyday citizens to steal millions of dollars in small donations,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in August upon Zeitlin’s arrest, which involved the FBI raiding his home.

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Zeitlin’sarrest “demonstrates this office’s commitment to ensuring that those who exploit charitable causes and political action committees for their own personal gain will be held responsible for their crimes,” Williams continued.

Zeitlin — deemed a flight risk and held in jail without bail since the summer — has pleaded not guilty to several felony charges.

They include one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and one count of wire fraud in connection with telemarketing, which each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice and one count of obstruction of justice, which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Piaro is on supervised release pending trial. But a federal court filing indicates that Kaplan, the judge in Zeitlin’s case, gave federal prosecutors until January 18 to reply to Zeitlin’s pre-trial request. Zeitlin, in turn, has until January 25 to respond to the government’s filing.

Zeitlin, therefore, will ostensibly stay put at the Metropolitan Detention Center for at least a few more weeks, if not indefinitely.