Newark, NJ – Three residents of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, were extradited to the United States last week and appeared in Newark federal court yesterday on charges related to a widespread “grandparent scam” that defrauded elderly Americans of millions of dollars.
Juan Rafael Parra Arias, 41; Miguel Angel Vasquez, 24; and Jose Ismael Dilone Rodriguez, 34, are among 11 Dominican Nationals charged in a 19-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, unsealed on April 29. The court ordered the three men detained pending trial. Their extradition follows that of co-conspirators Rafael Ambiorix Rodriguez Guzman, 59, and Felix Samuel Reynoso Ventura, 37, who appeared in Newark federal court on July 22.
According to the indictment, Parra Arias, Vasquez, Dilone Rodriguez, and their co-conspirators ran a “grandparent” scam targeting seniors across the United States, including in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Parra Arias allegedly led a network of call centers in Santiago, while Vasquez and Dilone Rodriguez recruited co-conspirators in the United States.
Court filings detail how “openers” in the call centers impersonated victims’ relatives to convince them that their loved ones were in trouble. “Closers” then posed as attorneys, police officers, or court personnel, convincing victims to send money for bail or legal fees. Couriers, recruited and dispatched by Parra Arias, Vasquez, and Dilone Rodriguez, collected the cash from victims’ homes or directed victims to mail it.
Parra Arias, Vasquez, and Dilone Rodriguez face multiple charges, including mail and wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 for each count of mail and wire fraud, and $500,000 for money laundering-related charges.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger stated, “These defendants allegedly exploited the love and devotion of elderly victims, cheating them out of millions. We are committed to protecting victims and prosecuting those who target vulnerable seniors.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton added, “We will vigorously pursue criminals who defraud victims through ‘grandparent scams’ and prioritize pursuing those who target vulnerable Americans from abroad. We thank the government of the Dominican Republic for their cooperation in extraditing these defendants.”
