Scammers have drained tens of millions of dollars from elderly American timeshare owners through an elaborate international resale fraud operation.
Federal prosecutors in Texas have charged Christian Felipe Rodriguez Peraza, also known as Jose Mario Ochoa Rodriguez, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, and his wife Brenda Tamayo Corona also known as Jazmin Oliva Chacon, of Mexico, along with co-defendants Michael Ian Hollands, of the United Kingdom, and Yorlena Alfonso Cuesta, with running the scheme that netted $40 million, according to the Justice Department.
The defendants allegedly contacted victims about selling timeshares on Mexico’s Pacific coast. The alleged fraudsters targeted timeshare owners with a fake sales scheme, claiming the victims’ properties had been sold and that the proceeds were ready for collection. The victims were subsequently told they needed to pay various fees and taxes upfront before they could receive their money.
To make the scheme appear legitimate, the perpetrators allegedly posed as US and Mexican government officials and used the identities of real American attorneys.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez allegedly worked with Hollands and other co-conspirators to move the victims’ money through US-based companies and bank accounts in an effort to launder the proceeds.
Two elderly San Antonio residents sent $1.2 million and received nothing in return.
Rodriguez and Tamayo were arrested in France and extradited to face charges in San Antonio federal court.
Says US Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas,
“Many of the elderly victims in this case sent all the money they had and more based on the lies told to them by this group of fraudsters. In case you haven’t noticed, this Department of Justice is uniquely committed to rooting out fraud in all of its forms, especially fraud conducted against Americans by transnational criminal organizations like this one. The long arm of American justice will continue to reach out and touch those who seek to enrich themselves to the detriment of Americans.”
Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and 20 years for the money laundering conspiracy charge if convicted.
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The post Elderly Texans Lose $1,200,000 in $40,000,000 Timeshare Resale Fraud Scheme appeared first on The Daily Hodl.
