WASHINGTON — A federal jury convicted two men Wednesday for their roles in a $4.5 million telemarketing scheme that defrauded victims in the United States from a call center in Costa Rica.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Manuel Chavez, 30, of Miami, Florida, and Mark Oman, 36, of Long Beach, Washington, participated in a fraudulent telemarketing scheme. They posed as U.S. government officials, and contacted victims in the United States to tell them that that they had won a substantial “sweepstakes” prize. After convincing victims that they stood to receive a significant financial reward, the men told them that they needed to make a series of up-front payments before collecting their supposed prize, purportedly for items such as taxes, customs duties and other fees. Many of the victims were elderly.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis.
Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed 7 days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
Oman and Chavez used a variety of means to conceal their true identities, including voice over Internet Protocol technology, which made it appear as though they were calling from Washington, D.C., and other locations in the United States. Chavez helped to transmit victims’ payments from the United States to Costa Rica. Oman worked at the fraudulent call center soliciting victims and also collected victim funds in Costa Rica, according to the evidence presented at trial. Evidence also showed that Chavez, Oman, and their co-conspirators stole approximately $4.5 million from victims.
Chavez and Oman were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering and six counts of international money laundering. Sentencing has not been set, but each man faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count.
