Woman and friends charged for rigging KVI contest

Ever suspect that those promotional contests to get you to listen every minute of progamming on a radio station in promise for cash just might be be a scam?

(photo: Ryan Elizabeth Keeley, Facebook)

Usually they’re not- they’re regulated by the FCC, and run by a private advertising agency. (what could go wrong?)

In a story followed by The PI.com, something (or someone) did go wrong. Fortunately, it was caught by an alert KVI employee who, with the company did the right thing and alerted the authorities. 

A former KVI-AM promotions coordinator was charged Tuesday with first-degree theft for allegedly rigging a radio contest to pocket some of the winnings, and 14 others allegedly involved in the scam were charged with second-degree theft.

Seems for a month and a half in 2007 (Feb. 6 to March 30) KVI ran a what they promo called Secret Listener Salute, Names were announced three times daily, and listeners told they had 30 minutes from the time of the announcement to call and win $1,000.

Prosecutors say Ryan Elizabeth Keeley, 26, was responsible for selecting contest names from two databases -- one of KVI online Insider Club Members and another created through telemarketing

Keeley, the station's promotions coordinator, would then give the winning name to the broadcast booth to be announced, but police say she gave names of associates rather than legitimate winners. Keeley left the station in the summer of 2007.

She’s been working as a barista, as prosecutors unraveled the scam.

In December 2007 or January 2008, one of the winners, Allen Edward Chapman, was contacted to turn in his W-9 tax form. Contest winners are required to submit a W-9 so their winnings can be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. But when the new promotions coordinator contacted him, Chapman said he never received his prize. He later told KVI staff the contest was rigged and Keeley would keep part of the winnings, according to court documents.

Chapman allegedly told police that he and his former girlfriend, Julie Anne Bergstrom, hired a man to work at their cafe who was friends with Keeley. That man, Jaron Johnson, connected the couple to Keeley, according to police.

Chapman, Bergstrom and Johnson are among the 14 people charged in King County Superior Court with second-degree theft. First- and second-degree theft is a felony.

Police allege Keeley, the former promotions coordinator, worked out details of the scam in March 2007, about four months before she left the station. The contest had 28 winners.

The woman "is the only employee of KVI radio with the means and ability to orchestrate this theft," Seattle Police Detective Philip Wall wrote in a search warrant affidavit.

Read the rest, here.

Comments

[Duffman]

Yes, I've often wondered about those radio enticements and whether they were totally above board.

[Stephen]

Hmmm wonder if she is a barrista at the Grab and go on Broadway in Everett. Have to stop there on way home this evening and check it out.

[thothman]

This reminds me of when I was 8yrs old. The local radio station was having a contest for kids under 12. The contest was who could collect the most Coca-Cola bottle caps. The prize was a half scale Model T novelty truck, no engine just a toy, but to a kid it was awesome. My Mom took my two older brothers and I around to all the gas stations and asked the attendants to open up the Old Style vending machines that held the hourglass bottles. We would then collect all the caps that fell into the machine after the customer used the bottle opener. We sorted through these sticky caps for the Coca-Cola caps. We did this everynight until the contest deadline. When we got to the station the Station Manager made a big deal about how the contest ended at 8pm and that there would be no exceptions for late entries. The contest winner was to be determined by weighing the caps. It was clear that we had collected by far the most caps. I was all excited because noone else had anything close to how many caps we had. 8 oclock comes and goes and the Station Manager said we will wait just a few more minutes for late entries.I was puzzled because he had repeatedly said that the specifically were not going to let late entries occur. At 8:20 a couple came in with the Man carrying bags of UNCRIMPED caps, all assorted flavors, not just Coke. The woman was carrying an infant. Clearly he got the caps from the bottling center and was in on the fraud. The manager declared the infant the winner and for the first time in my life I was confronted with blatant dishonesty.

[TommyOate]

Very good thothman, you obviously discovered early in life the inner workings of the King County Election Board.

[joanie]

Hmm. Pre-pubescent payola. I think a lot of that must have gone on at one time. We've always been a corrupt society. Just on a grander scale these days.