Fernando Reyes, 37, of Florida, has been hit with charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and actual mail fraud for his role in a scam that bilked an elderly Missouri resident out of over $53,000. The scheme began in April 2016, when Reyes and associates called the senior citizen, informing them they had won significant sums in a sweepstakes.
Victims were instructed to send money to addresses in New Hampshire and Florida to claim their winnings. Reyes posed as a federal attorney over the phone to lend credibility to his claims, although he is in no way affiliated with any federal agency. The con artists collected four checks totaling $53,000 before Reyes funneled part of the proceeds to Costa Rica and kept the rest.
In addition to the substantial financial loss, such elder frauds are a serious offense under U.S. law. If convicted, Reyes could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge, along with fines totaling $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The charges against Reyes come amidst an unprecedented nationwide elder fraud sweep coordinated by the Department of Justice. Over two hundred and fifty defendants from around the world are implicated in this historic sweep, which has affected over a million Americans, resulting in losses exceeding half a billion dollars.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with the investigation led by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or by calling 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice offers resources for elder fraud victims through its Office of Victims of Crime at www.ovc.gov.
Related Federal Cases
- Florida Man Reyes Gets a Year for Elder Sweepstakes Scam · Alabama
- Western Union Scam · Washington
- 23andMe Faces Legal Fire for Genetic Data Sale · Washington
- 23andMe Faces Lawsuit for Selling Genetic Data · Washington
- Amgen Pays $71M for Pushing Drugs Off-Label · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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