|
Reyes acted
as a money mule by receiving
funds from victims of the
lottery scheme and
forwarding them to his
co-conspirators in Costa
Rica. /
A.M. Costa Rica wire services
photo
|
U.S.
Citizen sentenced for sweepstakes
fraud linked to Costa Rica
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
U.S. Justice Department
announced that a U.S. Citizen
surnamed Reyes, 38 years old, a
resident of Florida, was sentenced
to 12 months and a day in prison
for conspiracy and mail
fraud. He appeared in
federal court before U.S. District
Judge Catherine Perry.
According to court documents,
beginning in April 2016, a
Missouri resident over the age of
80 began receiving telephone calls
from unknown individuals saying
that he had won large sums of
money through a sweepstakes.
In order to secure his winnings,
the Missouri resident was advised
to mail various amounts of money
to an individual in New Hampshire
and Reyes in Florida.
The callers identified Reyes as a
federal attorney. That
representation was false as Reyes
was not, and had never been,
affiliated with any federal agency
or department.
Reyes acted as a money mule by
receiving funds from victims of
the lottery scheme and forwarding
them to his co-conspirators in
Costa Rica.
Although he received a fraction of
the total amount defrauded, his
role was essential because his
participation served to obscure
the Costa Rican organizers from
ordinary view.
In addition, the use of his U. S.
address and financial institution
based in the United States
provided a level of comfort for
the victims that lulled them into
a sense of security.
Reyes received four checks
totaling $53,000 from the Missouri
resident and deposited them into
his personal financial accounts.
After making the deposits,
Reyes electronically transmitted a
portion of the funds to an
individual in Costa Rica and kept
the remaining funds for his
personal use.
Reyes also admitted engaging in
similar conduct with a resident of
the Northern District of Alabama
and received $45,000 from that
elderly individual.
This case was investigated by the
United States Postal Inspection
Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney
Tracy Berry is handling the case
for the U.S. Attorney’s Office as
part of the Department of
Justice’s ongoing effort to combat
elder fraud nationwide.
Elder fraud complaints may be
filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
or at 877-FTC-HELP.
The Department of Justice provides
a variety of resources relating to
elder fraud victimization through
its Office of Victims of Crime
which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
More information on this sentence
can be reached at U.S. Justice
Department site link*
-------------------------
Have you ever heard of
a lottery scam based in Costa
Rica? We would like to
know your thoughts on this
story. Send your comments
to: news@amcostarica.com
|
|
|
