Betts

FACTS

Marcus Betts worked for TransUnion LLC, one of the three major credit reporting agencies. He was the leader of the unit that decided disputes, where people claimed that some black mark on their credit score was inaccurate. He took bribes to conspire with his codefendants to falsely improve people’s UNITED STATES v. BETTS 16409 credit scores. His coconspirators would take money from peo- ple who wanted to improve their credit, and send letters that Betts would put in TransUnion’s database in such a way as to delete negative entries. It was a kind of private sector ticket- fixing scheme, with the outside people calling themselves “Second Chance Financial Services,” designed to make it eas- ier for people with bad credit records to borrow money. Betts did not create or direct the conspiracy, but was the essential inside man at TransUnion and helped his coconspirators com- pose an effective form letter. Betts falsified 654 credit histo- ries, generating around a million dollars in losses to lenders who got stuck with the bad risks.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 371, and raises no issues on appeal except with regard to sentencing. He claims…