Cedar Rapids, IA – Carlos Rodriguez, 37, from the Dubuque area, has entered a guilty plea in federal court for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme that preyed on elderly victims nationwide.
Rodriguez admitted to participating in a phone-based scam where he and others told unsuspecting seniors that a relative was in jail. They then coerced the victims into wiring money via Western Union or Money Gram to secure their ‘relative’s’ release, only for the funds to be collected by participants in Dubuque.
The plea hearing revealed Rodriguez’s direct role in the scheme, with him admitting to receiving wire transfers from elderly victims. He now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, fines, and supervised release following imprisonment.
Shawn Vaassen, previously charged alongside Rodriguez, also admitted to his part in the scam, including unlawfully possessing a sawed-off shotgun. Vaassen’s plea hearing was held on March 2, 2017.
The investigation into this fraudulent operation was led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Dubuque Police Department, while Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Vavricek and Anthony Morfitt are prosecuting the cases.
For more information on the case file numbers 17-CR-1001 and 17-CR-1004, visit https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Follow @USAO_NDIA for updates on federal criminal cases.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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