Dominican Attorney General Miriam German was recently in Washington, D.C where she met with US Justice authorities to foster collaboration between both countries to combat crime. Now with the indictment of several Dominicans for participation in what is being named the grandparents scam, the US government is seeking several to be extradited to face charges.
The Public Ministry confirmed it is asking the judges of the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) to authorize preventive custody for four Dominicans accused of scamming US citizens of millions of dollars in the extensive grandparents’ scam. The fugitives of US justice said to be in the DR are Juan Rafael Parra Arias (Yofre), Rafael Rodríguez Guzmán (Max Morgan), Félix Samuel Reynoso Ventura (Fili/Filly the Kid) and José Ismael Dilone Rodríguez.
The US Justice Department reported on 30 April 2024 that sixteen individuals were charged in connection with a sprawling “grandparent scam” to defraud elderly Americans out of millions of dollars.
Eleven men from the Dominican Republic are charged in a 19-count indictment with mail and wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
According to the indictment, unsealed this week in Newark, New Jersey, the defendants engaged in a long-running “grandparent” or “family in need of bail” scam against seniors in the United States. The scam was operated from call centers in the Dominican Republic.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Juan Rafael Parra Arias, Nefy Vladimir Parra Arrias and Gonzalez Acevedo operated a sophisticated network of call centers in the Dominican Republic. Their alleged victims included elderly residents of several states, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The call centers victimized hundreds of Americans through fraud, stealing millions of dollars.
Members of the conspiracy referred to as “openers” called elderly victims in the United States and impersonated the victims’ children, grandchildren, or other close relatives. The call centers used technology to make it appear that the calls were coming from inside the United States. Typically, the victim was told that their grandchild had been in a car accident, was arrested in connection with an accident, and needed help.
Once openers tricked victims into believing their loved ones were in dire trouble, others working at the call centers, known as “closers,” allegedly impersonated defense attorneys, police officers or court personnel and convinced victims to provide thousands of dollars in cash to help their loved ones.
Read more:
El Dia
US Department of Justice
USA Today
DR1 News
2 May 2024