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Peruvian Citizen Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Defraud Thousands of Hispanic Immigrants
A 32-year-old Peruvian citizen, Omar Cuzcano Marroquín, has been sentenced to 90 months in prison for operating a series of call centers in Peru that defrauded US residents of Hispanic descent by threatening them with arrest, deportation, and other legal consequences.
According to court documents, Cuzcano and his accomplices told victims that they had to accept and pay for English courses and other educational products, or face legal trouble. Cuzcano admitted that he and his employees falsely claimed to be lawyers, law enforcement officials, federal agents, and representatives of a nonexistent ‘minor court.’
The scheme, which operated from April 2011 to July 2019, defrauded thousands of US residents, with Cuzcano and his accomplices accumulating millions of dollars in payments from victims. ‘The Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justice will vigorously pursue and prosecute transnational criminals who defraud US consumers,’ said Brian M. Boynton, Acting Assistant Attorney General. ‘The defendants in this case brazenly defrauded newly arrived immigrants, promising them free products to improve their English. In reality, they ensnared their victims in a trap of intimidation and fear.’
Two of Cuzcano’s accomplices, Hennry Adrián Milla Campuzano, 37, and another accomplice, who were extradited to the Southern District of Florida, have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. The US Postal Inspection Service, along with the Consumer Protection Branch and the US Attorney’s Office, are committed to holding accountable individuals who use the US mail to defraud consumers.
‘Today’s sentence not only serves as a punishment for this defendant but also serves as a warning to others who seek to exploit vulnerable victims in the US,’ said Juan Antonio González, Acting US Attorney. ‘Know that the Department of Justice and its partners will aggressively investigate and prosecute this criminal activity, wherever it may occur.’
The scheme used deceptive tactics to instill fear in thousands of vulnerable US consumers, coercing them into buying products that were never delivered. ‘We expect today’s sentence to bring relief to US residents who were victims of this transnational scam,’ said Joseph Cronin, Inspector in Charge, US Postal Inspection Service. ‘The US Postal Inspection Service, along with the Consumer Protection Branch and the US Attorney’s Office, are committed to holding accountable individuals who use the US mail to defraud consumers.’
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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