Law enforcement officials in New Jersey have charged more than a dozen people for their role in a scam that targeted seniors and defrauded them out of millions of dollars.
On Tuesday, the office of Philip Sellinger, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced charges against 16 people involved, in what officials called a "grandparent scam," that targeted the elderly, often by having individuals act as a senior's relative who was in distress.
“As alleged, these 16 defendants preyed upon grandparents’ familial love and devotion, cheating them out of millions of dollars,” Sellinger said in a statement on the charges. “In this ‘grandparents’ scam,’ the defendants allegedly impersonated grandchildren in distress, claiming, for example, they had been arrested after a car accident involving a pregnant woman who later miscarried, and they needed immediate cash for bail or a lawyer. The panic-stricken grandparents quickly paid—sometimes tens of thousands of dollars."
Sellinger's office said 11 men from the Dominican Republic have been charged with a number of offenses including mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
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They are:
- Juan Rafael Parra Arias, aka “Yofre,” 40
- Nefy Vladimir Parra Arias, aka “Keko,” 39
- Nelson Rafael Gonzalez Acevedo, aka “Nelson Tech,” 35
- *Rafael Ambiorix Rodriguez Guzman, aka “Max Morgan,” 59
- Miguel Angel Fortuna Solano, aka “Botija,” aka “Boti,” 41
- *Felix Samuel Reynoso Ventura, aka “Fili,” aka “Filly The Kid,” 36
- Carlos Javier Estevez, 45
- Louis Junior Serrano Rodriguez, aka “Junior,” 27
- Miguel Angel Vasquez, aka “Miguel Disla,” 24
- Jovanni Antonio Rosario Garcia, aka “Porky,” aka “Chop,” 45
- Jose Ismael Dilone Rodriguez, 34
In addition, officials said five defendants from New York were charged by complaint with wire fraud conspiracy as part of the same scheme:
- Endy Jose Torres Moran, 21,
- Ivan Alexander Inoa Suero, 32,
- Jhonny Cepeda, 27
- Ramon Hurtado, 43
- Yuleisy Roque, 21
According to court documents, these individuals were involved in a scam that targeted seniors throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
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Officials allege that the scam was operated through a "sophisticated network of call centers in the Dominican Republic," that used technology to make it look like intended targets were being contacted by callers in the United States.
Typically, court documents note, victims were told that their grandchild had been in a car crash or had been arrested and was in need of financial help. Once the victims were duped into believing that the scammers were loved ones, court documents note, the targets were told to deliver funds to couriers who would come to the victims' homes to get the money that was requested.
Though, sometimes, officials noted, scammers allegedly told victims to send funds through the mail, as well.
Couriers, court documents allege, took the funds from victims and even provided fake receipts for the interaction, before sending the money back to the Dominican Republic.
Officials did not provide a final tally for the amount taken from victims, though they said hundreds of seniors were scammed out of millions of dollars overall.
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