The Santiago Prosecutor’s Office has formally charged 21 individuals, including two corporate entities, in connection with a cybercrime network that defrauded hundreds of elderly Americans out of millions of dollars through electronic scams. The investigation, known as Operation Discovery 2.0, successfully thwarted these fraudulent activities.
The indictment, submitted on Monday, 23 September 2024 to the general secretariat of the criminal jurisdiction in Santiago, spans 950 pages and includes over 450 pieces of evidence, ranging from documentary to testimonial materials.
Evidence collected during the investigation, supported by the National Police’s Special Division for Transnational Crime (Deidet), the New York Police Department, and US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), illustrates how the accused siphoned funds from insurance and retirement systems, harming countless retirees.
Operation Discovery 2.0 is one of the most complex investigations undertaken by the Santiago Prosecutor’s Office in recent years. Experts, prosecutors, and attorneys analyzed thousands of documents and obtained court orders for hundreds of phone interceptions to identify the key players in this criminal organization.
This investigation not only dismantled a highly organized crime syndicate but also revealed the vulnerability of the victims—retired seniors who lost their decades-long savings, which they relied on for financial security.
Currently, several of the accused, including Miguel Ángel Camilo Pérez, Erick Ángel Peña Núñez, Juan Armando Vásquez Ramírez, Freddy Urtarte (lMetra), Hayler Andrés Olivarez Núñez, and Kelvin Antonio Carmona Sánchez, are held in preventive detention.
Charges against the network, which some defendants have admitted to, include fraud, intimidation, identity theft, and money laundering.
As part of international cooperation efforts, the Prosecutor’s Office is working with U.S. authorities on the extradition of Juan Rafael Peña Arias, José Ismael Diloné Rodríguez, Félix Manuel Reynoso Ventura, Rafael Ambiorix Rodríguez Guzmán, and Miguel Ángel Vásquez, who are facing prosecution for these crimes in the United States.
The Prosecutor’s Office is also seeking the confiscation of numerous assets, including vehicles, properties, and cash.
One of the indicted individuals, Claudio Santana (also known as Claudio Mercedes), was deported to the United States, where he faces charges for multiple offenses against U.S. law.
The investigation targeted cybercriminals operating four clandestine call centers, which were raided, resulting in the seizure of substantial evidence related to the charges.
Operation Discovery 2.0 involved a multidisciplinary team of over 26 prosecutors, more than 230 National Police agents, and specialists from the Office of Specialized Prosecution against High Technology Crimes and the General Directorate of Public Prosecution, who coordinated operational efforts.
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Diario Libre
El Dia
25 September 2024