Three scammers, who swindled millions of dollars from American seniors, were arrested in the Dominican Republic to face court.
Three Dominican Nationals were extradited to the United States last week and made their initial appearance in Newark federal court on Sunday, said the US Department of Justice in a press release.
The defendants are charged with participation in a so-called “grandparent scam” that defrauded elderly Americans across the United States, including in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
The scammers operated the scheme from call centers in the Dominican Republic, using technology to appear to be calling from within the US. Gang members, referred to as “openers” and “closers,” operated the scheme.
The openers called elderly victims and impersonated the victims’ children, grandchildren, or other close relatives. The scammers pretended to have suffered a car accident, had been arrested in connection with an accident, and asked for help.
Once the openers had deceived victims into thinking their loved ones were in danger, closers allegedly posed as defense attorneys, police officers, or court personnel to convince victims to give thousands of dollars in cash to help their relatives. The cash was usually collected by couriers from the victims' homes or sent by the victims themselves based on the closers' instructions.
“The grandparent scam is a cruel fraud scheme that deliberately preys on elderly and vulnerable persons within society. Perpetrators, often cowardly operating off-shore, cause extreme emotional and financial harm to the innocent people they target in the commission of this crime,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker of the Social Security Administration Office.
The suspects each face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and money laundering.
If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison for each charge, a maximum fine of $250,000 per count for mail and wire fraud, and up to $500,000 per count for money laundering conspiracy and money laundering.
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