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U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn assisting with Sessions’ elder fraud sweep

February 22, 2018 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced one of the largest coordinated sweeps for elder fraud cases in the country's history which will involve the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced one of the largest coordinated sweeps for elder fraud cases in the country's history which will involve the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced one of the largest coordinated law enforcement sweeps for elder fraud cases in the country, one which he will rely upon the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District right here in Brooklyn.

There are more than 250 defendants expected to be involved in the sweep, people who primarily targeted the elderly across the country. In total, the elder fraud schemes are said to have caused more than $500 million in losses, according to the attorney general.

“When criminals steal the hard-earned life savings of older Americans, we will respond with all the tools at the department’s disposal — criminal prosecutions to punish offenders, civil injunctions to shut the schemes down and asset forfeiture to take back ill-gotten gains. Today is only the beginning. I have directed department prosecutors to coordinate with both domestic law enforcement partners and foreign counterparts to stop these criminals from exploiting our seniors.”

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Many of these cases involve schemes ranging from mass mailings, telemarketing, investment fraud, identity theft and theft by guardians. Cases range from those that involve transnational criminal organizations that target the elderly to relatives or fiduciaries who took advantage of a single victim.

The U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, working with the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, has brought numerous cases this week in coordination with this sweep. In total, 43 mass-mailing fraud operators were targeted, with criminal charges brought against six individuals.

“The defendants targeted elderly and vulnerable consumers both in the United States and abroad, using U.S. addresses and the U.S. mail to try to legitimize their fraudulent schemes,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard P. Donoghue. “They sold false promises of life-changing prizes that never came true. We will pursue the perpetrators of these mail schemes wherever they are located, and hold them accountable.”

Some examples of elder fraud scams uncovered in this operation include “lottery phone scams,” where people tell seniors that they won the lottery, but that they must first pay large fees to receive any money; or “grandparent scams,” where people convince seniors their grandchildren are in jail and need bail money.

Part of this sweep includes partnerships with Senior Corps, a national program administered by the Corporation for National Community Service and is meant to educate the public on some of these scams. The U.S. Justice Department will also work with state officials and foreign law enforcement, such as the Vancouver Police Department in Canada.

 


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