Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A 40-year-old New York City man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal fraud charges as part of a Dominican Republic-based "grandparent scam" that targeted elderly victims in the United States.
Victor Anthony Valdez, of the Bronx, was charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy for acting as a courier in the scheme. According to court documents, returned by a Newark, N.J., grand jury, Valdez went to victims' homes to pick up money after they had been told by scammers that their grandchildren needed the money after being arrested.
Prosecutors accused Valdez of acting as a courier from August 2020 and August 2021, collecting tens of thousands of dollars of elderly victims.
"The Justice Department's Consumer Protection Branch and its law enforcement partners will vigorously pursue individuals who prey on vulnerable and elderly victims through fraudulent schemes like the one in which the defendant here participated," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton said in a statement.
"Those who aid transnational criminals in deliberately targeting vulnerable consumers in the United States will be held accountable."
Valdez is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9, 2025.
The Social Security Administration's Acting Inspector General Hannibal "Mike" Ware called such scams "cruel" because they prey on a vulnerable population.
"The vast majority of the victims are Social Security beneficiaries, who live on a fixed income," he said. "We will continue to aggressively pursue such intolerable criminal activities."
