AMCostaRica©
AMCostaRica©
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The
Prosecutor said that suspects
proceeded to induce investors by
presenting false facts, making them
believe that they invested their
money in an entity that traded
securities legally and under
government supervision. / A.M. Costa
Rica wire services photo.
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-Published Thursday, October 3,
2019-
Prosecutor's
Office accuses trio of scamming
investors of more than $33
million
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The San José Prosecutor's Office
presented the accusation against a
woman and two men suspected of
defrauding investors of
$33.3 million.
The suspects are Costa Ricans,
including a woman surnamed
Silva-Meneses and two men surnamed
Rivera-Solano and
Salazar-Rodríguez.
The alleged crimes against the
accused are:
- To Silva-Meneses 92 alleged
scams for falsification of private
documents and use of false
documents. Plus, four alleged
crimes of fraudulent
administration use of false
documents and illegal financial
intermediation.
- To Rivera-Solano 33 alleged
scams with forgery of private
documents and the use of false
documents. Also one accusation for
falsification of a private
document, use of false document
and illegal financial
intermediation.
- To Salazar-Rodríguez, four
alleged scams and one alleged
fraudulent administration.
According to the investigation,
Silva-Meneses, led a complex
structure to defraud investors.
The two men Rivera and Salazar
supposedly were her accomplices.
In the investigation, the
prosecutor alleged that
Silva-Meneses took advantage of
the experience of having worked as
a broker and account executive of
a financial institution to
convince 19 alleged victims to
invest in the foreign exchange
market.
However, Silva had resigned from
the position she held in the
financial firms and did not have
the legal right to work as a
financial intermediary.
The Prosecutor said that she
proceeded to induce investors by
presenting false facts, making
them believe that they invested
their money in an entity that
traded securities legally and
under government supervision.
In the investigation, the
Prosecutor's Office said that
Silva-Meneses used the funds
invested by those affected for
purposes other than investing in
the stock market.
In addition, she gave the victims
fake statements so the victims
would not have realized that their
money was being illegally held or
used by the suspects, prosecutors
alleged.
In order to obtain the necessary
evidence to conclude the
investigation, the Prosecutor's
Office asked the Criminal Court
for a series of requirements that
would allow obtaining evidence,
among others, of a financial
nature. In addition, the
Prosecutor requested the Office of
Technical Advisory and
International Relations, known as
OATRI, to obtain evidence in
Panamá and the United States.
Last Nov. 2, 2018, a judge
declared the case as a complex
process.
On Sept. 20, the prosecutor
presented the case to the victims
of the alleged fraud. This is to
establish if the case will be
presented as a private accusation
and/or a civil compensation
action.
The civil compensation action
would seek economic damages
suffered by the victims.
After that, the prosecutor could
send the file with accusation and
request further judicial actions.
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Have you heard about scams from
investors related to accounts in the
international currency market known as
Forex? We would like to know your
thoughts on this story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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