They looked like ordinary offices. Operating under legitimate-sounding names like Agnes Travel SRL and Urtarte’s Paradise Call Center, these facilities in Santiago and Puerto Plata weren’t selling vacations. Instead, they served as the engine for “Operation Discovery,” one of the most sophisticated digital fraud networks ever dismantled in the Caribbean.
In its coverage on the conclusion of the case, Diario Libre questions that the Dominican judiciary has issued what is described as minor sentencing benefiting the locals incriminated in the case.
The Dominican judiciary has begun handing down the sentences and the outcomes have sparked debate over whether the punishment fits the scale of the crime.
Diario Libre reports that the mastermind, Miguel Ángel Camilo Pérez (alias “Cilo” or “Milo”), identified as the brain of the Dominican operation, was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Six key operators, including individuals known by aliases such as “Metra,” “Peligro,” and “Tripplehmusic,” have received four-year prison terms. In addition, 10 other associates involved in money laundering and account management were also sentenced to four years; however, their sentences were suspended, meaning they will not serve time behind bars unless they violate court conditions.
As part of the ruling, the corporate entities used as fronts, Agnes Travel and Urtarte’s Call Center, have been legally dissolved.
Diario Libre reports that while the Dominican ringleaders face relatively short sentences, the legal battle continues in the US judiciary. Several suspects have already been extradited to the United States to face federal charges.
Diario Libre questions that hundreds of retirees who lost their homes and retirement funds to the “Discovery” network, the seven-year cap on the lead architect’s sentence leaves a lingering question: Is it a sufficient price to pay for destroying the financial security of the most vulnerable?
Since 2023, this network systematically hunted hundreds of elderly US citizens, using emotional manipulation to strip them of their life savings. According to the Public Ministry, the total loot exceeded US$100 million.
The crackdown, dubbed Operation Discovery 2.0, involved 15 simultaneous raids led by the Santiago Prosecutor’s Office with support from the US Department of Homeland Security and the Transnational Crimes Division (DEDIET).
Investigators didn’t just find phones; they uncovered a professionalized criminal enterprise. Evidence seized included servers packed with stolen data, extortion scripts designed to induce panic, and luxury vehicles, firearms, high-end watches and other jewelry funded by the fraud.
The “Grandparent Scam” relied on a cruel but effective psychological playbook. Scammers would call elderly Americans posing as police officers, lawyers, or federal agents.
The lie was usually the same: “Your grandchild has been arrested.” They claimed money was needed immediately for bail or to clear legal charges. In other instances, they told victims their Social Security numbers had been compromised. To collect the funds, the network demanded wire transfers, international deposits, or prepaid gift cards.
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Diario Libre
NBC
17 December 2025