Peruvian convicted for extorting Hispanics in the US of 15 million dollars

• José Zúñiga Cano is convicted of fraud against Hispanics
• The man extorted around 15 million dollars
• What did the authorities say about it?

A Peruvian man, who through a call center in that country, extorted and participated in a $15 million fraud against Hispanic consumers in the U.S.

The man falsely threatened them with arrests, for which he was sentenced to 8 years in prison, reported the South Florida Federal Prosecutor’s Office on Friday.

José Alejandro Zúñiga Cano, 40 years old and a native of Lima, was sentenced to 98 months in prison.

And also to pay $700,000 in restitution to more than 1,100 victims of the fraud, reported the EFE agency.

HISPANIC JOSÉ ZÚÑIGA CANO IS ACCUSED OF FRAUD TOWARDS HISPANICS

José Zúñiga Cano pleaded guilty last July to being the owner of a call center in Lima that defrauded Spanish-speaking American consumers.

They were threatened with legal consequences if they didn’t pay for English language learning materials they never requested.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: Up to $7,500 in compensation for security breaches of sensitive patient data

Among the deceptions, Zúñiga and his accomplices falsely claimed to the victims that they had won or qualified to receive free products, including tablets and English courses.

The culprits defrauded more than 30,000 Spanish-speaking residents in the United States, many of whom were recent immigrants who had expressed interest in learning English, said the Prosecutor’s Office.

How did José Zúñiga Cano proceed?

José Zúñiga Cano and his accomplices posed as lawyers, judicial officials, police officers, and representatives of a supposed «misdemeanor court.» This was done to intimidate the victims and force them to send the payments they demanded.

They threatened the victims with legal proceedings, arrest, and immigration consequences if they did not comply.

«The long arm of the American justice system knows no bounds when it comes to reaching scammers who prey on the most vulnerable populations of our nation,» they highlighted.

«Among those included are the elderly and recent immigrants,» said Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

What did the federal prosecutor say about it?

Lapointe stressed that his office would not allow «transnational criminals to use fear and intimidation tactics to steal money from the public we serve.»

A total of eight Peruvian call center owner-operators are related.

In addition, four owner-operators of distribution centers that processed payments, distributed products, and facilitated fraud in the United States were part of this fraud scheme.

The victims who paid the extortion were later «revictimized» by José Zúñiga Cano and his accomplices with a false restitution plan.

What did the documents state?

According to court documents, the scammers made additional calls to the victims.

The same victims who had already paid, posing as lawyers in a U.S. court.

José Zúñiga Cano and other impostors told the victims that they were entitled to restitution payments and that they would receive their money if they paid the attorney who was supposedly filing the case on their behalf.

*WITH INFORMATION FROM EFE.

TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST OF THIS AND OTHER NEWS CLICK ON THE PHOTO