Allan Francisco Castrillo Bastos, Fraudulent Lottery Scheme, Texas 2021
Costa Rican Living in El Paso Indicted for Fraudulent Lottery Scheme Stole more than One Million Dollars from Unsuspecting Individuals
In El Paso, the federal grand jury indicted 39-year-old Allan Francisco Castrillo Bastos, a citizen of Costa Rica residing in El Paso, in connection with a scheme to steal over $1 million from dozens of unsuspecting individuals who believed they had won the lottery and had to pay a tax in advance of receiving their winnings.
On Wednesday, Castrillo Bastos waived arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges contained in the indictment.
A 13-count federal grand jury indictment charges the defendant with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, ten counts of wire fraud, making a false statement to obtain credit and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment alleges that the defendant participated in, or caused, a series of fraudulent wire transfers between August 2018 and March 2019.
The victims wire transferred funds to the defendant believing they won the lottery and needed to pay taxes before collecting any prize money. Subsequently, the defendant transferred the fraudulently obtained funds to accounts outside the U.S. As a result, Castrillo Bastos pocketed over $1 million from dozens of unsuspecting individuals. One of those victims was a resident in the Salem, NJ, area who lost approximately $170,000 to Castrillo Bastos.
The indictment also includes a notice of criminal forfeiture in which the government is seeking to forfeit proceeds derived from his scheme as well as a money judgment against Castrillo Bastos in the amount of $1,219,357.42.
Upon conviction, Castrillo Bastos faces up to 30 years in federal prison for making a false statement to obtain credit; up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts. Castrillo Bastos remains on $75,000 bond following his arrest last week. No further court dates have been scheduled.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →