Six Charged in Transnational Money Laundering Operation Involving Elder Fraud

“The threat posed by transnational organized crime is continuing to increase. Of particular concern to us is the financial exploitation of older Americans by foreign-based crime rings. These villains are located thousands of miles away, but they can target seniors here at home through believable scams designed to rob them of hard-earned savings. Our district will be relentless in the fight against not only these transnational criminal organizations, but also their extensive networks of associates and money mules laundering the stolen funds. We also plan to develop a new initiative with our law enforcement partners to ramp up our enforcement efforts on this front.”

“I'm very proud of my IRS service and I take these impersonation scams very personally. I am disgusted by attempts to impersonate IRS employees and steal money from the taxpaying public. Our office will continue to use the full force of the financial skills of our agents to identify and investigate these impactful crimes with our law enforcement partners in order to improve confidence in the taxpayers' contacts with the IRS and its public servants.”

“Over the last several years, American taxpayers have been subjected to unprecedented attempts to fraudulently obtain money by individuals impersonating IRS employees. TIGTA and our law enforcement partners will do everything within our power to ensure that those involved in the impersonation of IRS employees are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Creating a scheme that enriches the defendants while defrauding distressed and vulnerable HUD insured borrowers jeopardizes the many legitimate processes in place to protect a person's mortgage. I want to thank the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners and the U. S. Attorney's Office, whose collaboration made these charges possible. The HUD Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively prosecute these type of cases.”

“As reflected by the indictment, the United States Secret Service in Indianapolis -- along with our federal, state and local partners across America -- remains dedicated to the pursuit and apprehension of those fraudsters who seek to cheat their way to riches by preying upon some of our most vulnerable citizens. I commend the excellent work of all the prosecutors and agents who have worked on this matter, and I am especially appreciative of the successful teamwork demonstrated by the many different law enforcement agencies who contributed to this investigation. The Secret Service will continue to prioritize cases that have economic impact to the community and those that involve such ruthless schemes.”