Home security salesman who scammed 164 Columbus residents to repay $312,512, serve 5½ years

Jordan Laird, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
Guy A. Andonian, 77, formerly of Columbus and now of North Carolina, is accused in an indictment of stealing more than $35,000 from VFW Post 4044 on Eakin Road between 2017 and 2019 through a check scheme.

A salesman who scammed 164 Columbus residents — about half of whom were elderly — into paying for home security systems he said would be free will have to pay more than $300,000 in restitution and spend 5½ years in prison.

His sister accomplice got probation.

Brandon McGrew, 32, admits he went door to door from June to September in 2020 selling security systems for LifeLine Smarthome. McGrew’s sister, 35-year-old Nicole Hill, helped him, according to prosecutors.

The pair falsely told people that a government program would pay for the security systems because they lived in a high-crime neighborhood, said Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Jason Moore.

“Believing the story, the victims gave McGrew and Hill their personal information, which was used to sign the victims up to a contract electronically to purchase an expensive (usually around $5,000) security system on credit. The victims then found out about it later when they started receiving bills,” Moore said.

McGrew defrauded 164 people, about half of whom were elderly, and made $154,000 in commissions on fraudulent sales, according to Moore.

McGrew pleaded guilty in April to 13 felony counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, telecommunications fraud and theft.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Andria Noble sentenced McGrew on Wednesday, oredering him to pay $312,152 in restitution to his victims.

Hill pleaded guilty in April to six felony counts. Noble sentenced her on Wednesday to three years of community control.

McGrew’s defense attorney, Gregg Slemmer, did not return a phone call on Wednesday requesting comment.

In a memo filed with the court ahead of sentencing, Slemmer asked for Noble to give McGrew community control.

“At LifeLine, the company encouraged and overlooked the tactics employed by its salesmen. When Brandon was hired, his manager instructed him that he could use any tactics necessary to sell accounts,” Slemmer said.

According to the memo, McGrew is employed currently in Dallas at SkyLine, the largest distributor of Brinks home security systems in the U.S., where he is one of the company’s top salespeople and has had no customer complaints.

More court news: Columbus man sentenced for role in theft ring that stole over 1,100 catalytic converters

jlaird@dispatch.com

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Scammer to repay $312,152 to Columbus victims, serve 5½ years prison