2 plead guilty to role in nationwide phone scam

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Two men who participated in an elaborate phone scam that cheated people from across the nation have agreed to repay their victims but avoided time behind bars. Massachusetts prosecutors say Ajaykumar Chaudhari, of Pownal, Vermont, and Jitendra Chaudhari, of Williamstown, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty this week to larceny and attempt to commit larceny. They, together with a third defendant, have agreed to pay more than $200,000 in restitution. They won’t be sent to jail as long as they stay out of additional legal trouble for two years. All three are members of the same family. Victims came from multiple states including California, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia.