Tampa, Florida – A grand jury has indicted four individuals for their alleged involvement in an international fraud scheme involving the sale of gold.
The indictment charges Naadir Cassim (38, Barcelona, Spain and Orlando, Florida), Jon Craig Nelson (67, Houston, Texas), Michael Skillern (47, Houston, Texas), and Adriana Maria Camargo, a/k/a Adriana Palomino (36, Barcelona, Spain) with conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that from at least August 2011, through at least February 2014, the defendants and others engaged in a fraud scheme in which they directed and caused the sale of purported but nonexistent gold ore or gold doré from mines owned or controlled by them, through a company called OWN GOLD, LLC.
The conspirators recruited, instructed, supported and paid telemarketers to place unsolicited calls to potential and existing victims outside the United States, from boiler rooms. The telemarketers employed high-pressure and misleading sales techniques when promoting the nonexistent gold ore or gold doré.
The indictment further alleges that Cassim, Nelson, Skillern, Camargo, and others then caused victims to wire their funds from the United Kingdom and elsewhere, to bank accounts controlled by the defendants.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the City of London Police and the Spanish National Police. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachelle DesVaux Bedke and Sara C. Sweeney.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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