Three Men Plead Guilty in Grandparent Scheme That Defrauded RI Seniors Out of $350K
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Three Men Plead Guilty in Grandparent Scheme That Defrauded RI Seniors Out of $350K
The victims, who ranged from seventy-nine to ninety-four years of age, were contacted by telephone by callers impersonating family members or attorneys. These callers falsely told the victims that a loved one, generally a grandchild, had been arrested after being involved in a motor vehicle accident, and needed cash bail.
The victims were directed to gather cash for these fake bail payments, and told to provide the money to a courier that would be sent to their home.
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Bryan Valdez-Espinosa, 22, and Diego A. Alarcon, 22, of Union City, NJ; and Jason Hatcher, 40, of New York, NY, admitted that in June 2021, they traveled to New England to participate in the scam. Hatcher pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft; Alarcon and Valdez-Espinosa each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
“Few things are more frightening than thinking a family member is in trouble,” said Cunha. “These defendants exploited that fear to steal from loving grandparents and line their own pockets. Thanks to superb investigative work by our local law enforcement partners and the Department of Homeland Security, I am pleased that, with today’s guilty pleas, each of these defendants will answer for their fraud.”
According to court documents and information presented to the court, victims were scammed out of a total of $350,815. In at least one instance, a family member intervened leading to the arrest of Valdez-Espinosa who was posing as a courier. Scammers defrauded the victims out of between $9,500 and $85,000.
Valdez-Espinosa, Alarcon, and Hatcher will be sentenced on October 11. 2022. Their sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Ferland and Christine D. Lowell. The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.