MIAMI – A Nicaraguan national wanted in the United States, Spain, and Panama for his role in a massive international wire fraud and extortion scheme has been extradited to Miami to face federal charges.
Ernesto Ortega Padgett, 41, was extradited from Madrid, Spain, to Miami, where he made his initial appearance in a federal court on June 16. Ortega, a fugitive, had been charged in a 27-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on February 2, 2023, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion, conspiracy to commit money laundering, making a communication in interstate commerce containing a threat to injure, engaging in transactions involving criminally derived property, and conspiracy to transport stolen property.
According to the indictment, Ortega’s scheme began in 2020 and targeted businesses across the United States. Ortega and his co-conspirators posed as bank representatives and used a combination of technology and social engineering to deceive victims into providing sensitive account information. Ortega and his co-conspirators then used that information to access victims’ bank accounts and initiate unauthorized wire transfers.
Ortega relied on an international network of money launderers to receive the stolen funds, withdraw them in cash, and forward the proceeds to accounts directly under Ortega’s control, often in the form of cryptocurrency. During the commission of the scheme, Ortega and his co-conspirators used extortion, threatened force, and fear of injury to compel some money launderers to take part in the scheme.
The scheme resulted in losses exceeding $29 million. Ortega had also been charged in Spain for related criminal conduct before fleeing that jurisdiction, as well as having pending charges in Panama. He remained a fugitive for nearly a year, with active warrants in all three countries.
FBI officials apprehended Ortega at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France, in December 2023, after receiving intelligence that he would be traveling to Paris for Christmas. Ortega was then extradited back to Madrid and subsequently extradited to the United States on June 13.
If convicted, Ortega faces up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge, up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge, up to 20 years in prison on the Hobbs Act charge, up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit money laundering charge, up to 20 years in prison on the making a communication in interstate commerce containing a threat to injure charge, up to 10 years in prison for the engaging in transactions involving criminally derived property charge, and up to five years in prison for the conspiracy to transport stolen property.
Ortega had previously been residing in Miami, FL, and was deported from the United States in January 2020.
The investigation was led by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) Electronic Crimes Unit, the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), and the FBI. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Ortega’s arrest and extradition.
Ortega is currently being held in federal custody pending trial.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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