A New Mexico man has been sentenced in federal court in Kentucky for his role in a scheme that targeted elderly individuals in Kentucky and across the country, resulting in millions of dollars in losses. Robert Louis Sanchez, 57, of Albuquerque, pled guilty to participating in what is known as a grandparent scam, in which con artists prey on elderly people by fabricating stories about a grandchild in difficulty and requiring money.
According to the indictment, conspiracy members traveled throughout the country and used information obtained from unknown sources to identify elderly potential victims. According to the indictment, scammers would then call the victims, posing as a family member, frequently a grandchild, and claiming to require money because the “grandchild” had been in a vehicle accident or was in legal trouble.
“Like other similar fraud schemes, this grandparent scam targets particularly vulnerable senior victims and employs particularly manipulative social engineering, leading victims to believe their loved ones are in danger,” the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Corinne E. Keel, stated in a sentencing memo. “Grandparent scams like this one create a sense of fear and urgency, effectively preying on victim panic to convince them to hand over thousands of dollars before they realize they’re being scammed.”
The scam comprised sending personnel to victims’ houses to collect money, which members of the conspiracy then deposited in a bank or laundered through cryptocurrency exchanges. According to federal prosecutors, the scheme duped hundreds of people across the United States, causing them to lose more than $3 million in total. On June 28, U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom sentenced Sanchez to 18 months in federal prison in Louisville.
According to federal authorities, Sanchez served as a courier, collecting money from victims and guarding the money. Some of those accused of having participated in the conspiracy are still facing charges, but four others have pleaded guilty and received sentences. They are:
Jairo Ostia Roberts, 44, moved from Panama to the United States to work as a courier. Roberts was sentenced to six months in prison and then deported to Panama after serving his term. Panama Abel Diaz Adames, 39, another resident, traveled from Panama to pick up money as part of the plan. Diaz Adames was sentenced to 1 year and 4 months in prison. Christopher Courcoulacos, 46, a Canadian citizen who helped carry out the scam. Boom condemned him to six years in prison as per kentucky.
Mark Anthony Phillips, 44, of Ruskin, Florida, was sentenced to six years in jail. The Internal Revenue Service and the US Secret Service investigated the matter, with cooperation from other agencies. The Federal Communications Commission, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and other agencies provide tools to prevent people from becoming victims of grandparent scams.