Jess Kinmont & John Wenz

What the public record shows

Jess Kinmont and John P. Wenz Jr. owned a timeshare-resale company that defrauded more than 8,000 victims — many of them elderly — of about $18 million. They were sentenced in October 2023: Kinmont to 7 years ($11.7M restitution) and Wenz to 3 years 10 months ($4.8M restitution). These are criminal convictions — not allegations.

The scheme — advance-fee timeshare fraud

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia:

• The company cold-contacted timeshare owners — often older adults eager to offload a timeshare they no longer wanted — with false promises to sell or rent it, sometimes claiming a buyer was already lined up.
• Victims paid upfront fees (for “closing costs,” taxes, or marketing) to complete the supposed deal.
• The sales and rentals never happened. The upfront fees were the entire point.

Why we rate this 1 / 10 — Avoid

Convictions and multi-year sentences for an advance-fee scam that industrialized preying on elderly timeshare owners. It’s one of the most common frauds aimed at seniors.

Red flags this case teaches

• Any upfront fee to sell or rent something — a legitimate resale broker is paid from the proceeds, not before.
• Unsolicited calls claiming “a buyer is already waiting” for your timeshare.
• Pressure to pay quickly for “closing costs” or “taxes.”
• If you’re stuck with a timeshare, work only through the resort or a verified, fee-at-closing broker — and check your state consumer-protection agency.

Bottom line

Both convicted. No legitimate resale service asks you to pay upfront to sell your own property. An advance fee to unload a timeshare is the scam itself.

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