Scammers targeting elderly residents in Pennsylvania and other states arrested

• Network of scammers targeting elderly residents in Pennsylvania.
• It originated in the Dominican Republic.
• Police made several arrests.

In a crackdown on scams targeting elderly individuals, charges have been filed against 16 people.

They are accused of deceiving elderly residents in Pennsylvania and other states from a network in the Dominican Republic.

The names of the individuals involved and the potential consequences of their actions have been released.

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Network of scammers targeting elderly residents in Pennsylvania is dismantled

According to WTAJ, the Justice Department announced that 11 men from the Dominican Republic face 19 charges.

These include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.

The accused are: Juan Rafael Parra Arias, also known as Yofre (41); Nefy Vladimir Parra Arias, also known as Keko (39) and Nelson Rafael González Acevedo, also known as Nelson Tech (35).

Also, Rafael Ambiórix Rodríguez Guzmán, also known as Max Morgan (59); Miguel Ángel Fortuna Solano, also known as Botija and Boti (41) and Félix Samuel Reynoso Ventura, also known as Fili and Filly The Kid (37).

The scam originated from a call center in the Dominican Republic

Carlos Javier Estévez (45); Luis Junior Rodríguez Serrano, also known as Junior (27) and Miguel Ángel Vásquez, also known as Miguel Disla (24), were also charged.

In addition Jovanni Antonio Rosario García, also known as Porky and Chop (45) and José Ismael Dilón Rodríguez (34) were arrested.

Investigators noted that the accused carried out «grandparent» or «family in need of bail» scams targeting elderly individuals in the United States.

The scam operation was managed from a call center in the Dominican Republic.

The scammers targeting elderly residents also operated in New York

Additionally, five other suspects face charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of the same scheme in New York.

These include Endy José Torres Morán (21); Ivan Alexander Inoa Suero (32) and Jhonny Cepeda (27).

Also involved are Ramón Hurtado (43) and Yuleisy Roque (21).

These five individuals allegedly acted as couriers, collecting cash from victims in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and other locations.

Their modus operandi

Members of the group known as «openers» would call elderly victims, posing as their children, grandchildren or other close relatives.

Using technology to simulate calls from the U.S., they convinced the victims that their loved ones were in legal trouble and needed urgent help.

Once persuaded, other individuals known as «closers» would pose as defense lawyers, police officers or judicial personnel.

They were responsible for persuading the victims to hand over large sums of cash.

Legal consequences for the scammers

The five defendants in the United States typically acted as «carriers,» responsible for collecting money at the victim’s home, according to investigators.

«As alleged, these 16 defendants preyed upon grandparents’ familial love and devotion, cheating them out of millions of dollars,» U.S. Attorney Sellinger for the District of New Jersey.

According to WTAJ, if convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per charge.

They also face fines of up to $250,000 per charge of mail and wire fraud, and fines of up to $500,000 per charge of money laundering.