Authorities have arrested seven individuals from New York City in connection with an alleged scheme that defrauded victims out of $20 million through money laundering. The operation reportedly preyed on hundreds of people, many of them elderly, across numerous states.
The suspects are now facing charges of conspiracy and money laundering after investigators spent 15 months unraveling the details of the fraud, which is said to have taken place from January 2023 until now.
As detailed by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the perpetrators primarily targeted senior citizens using deceptive computer pop-ups. These messages falsely warned victims that their personal information had been used to acquire illegal child exploitation material.
Fearing legal consequences, victims were coerced into purchasing gift cards from retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s in an attempt to clear their names, prosecutors stated.
The suspects allegedly converted the fraudulently obtained funds into physical goods, including copper piping and hot water heaters, which they purchased at Home Depot and Lowe’s locations throughout Long Island and the greater New York City region. These items were then resold to contractors and plumbers.
“We believe more than 1,800 people were victimized across the country, spanning 45 states, from New York to as far as Hawaii and Alaska,” Nassau County D.A. Anne Donnelly said.
Investigators believe the group carried out over 6,000 individual transactions across 80 different Home Depot and Lowe’s stores in New York, spreading them out over more than 400 separate dates.
Prosecutors say surveillance footage captures the suspects actively making purchases at the retail chains, further corroborating the allegations against them.
{Matzav.com}