21 Indian-origin persons sentenced in massive call centre fraud in US

21,2018
Washington:Twenty-one Indian-origin persons have been sentenced here to up to 20 years for their role in a massive India-based call centre scam which defrauded thousands of US residents of hundreds of millions of dollars, the Justice Department said.

The sentences which range from 4 years to 20 years were announced earlier this week, the department said in a press release on Friday.

“The stiff sentences imposed this week represent the culmination of the first-ever large scale, multi-jurisdiction prosecution targeting the India call center scam industry,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“This case represents one of the most significant victories to date in our continuing efforts to combat elder fraud and the victimization of the most vulnerable members of the US public.

“The transnational criminal ring of fraudsters and money launderers who conspired to bilk older Americans, legal immigrants and many others out of their life savings, must recognize that all resources will be deployed to shut down these telefraud schemes, put those responsible in jail and bring a measure of justice to the victims,” Sessions said.

According to various admissions made in connection with the defendants’ guilty pleas, between 2012 and 2016, the defendants and their conspirators perpetrated a complex fraud and money laundering scheme in which individuals from call centres located in Ahmedabad frequently impersonated officials from the federal tax agency, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a ruse designed to defraud victims located throughout the US.

Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, the accused targeted the US victims who were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay alleged monies owed to the government.

Victims who agreed to pay the scammers were instructed how to provide payment, including by purchasing stored value cards or wiring money. Upon payment, the call centres would immediately turn to a network of “runners” based in the US to liquidate and launder the fraudulently obtained funds.

For their services, the runners would earn a specific fee or a percentage of the funds. Runners also received victims’ funds via wire transfers, which were retrieved under fake names and through the use of using false identification documents, direct bank deposits by victims or other gift cards that victims purchased.

Three other conspirators were sentenced earlier this year for laundering proceeds for the conspiracy.

Twenty-two of the accused were held jointly and severally liable for restitution of $8,970,396 payable to identified victims of their crimes. Additionally, the court entered individual preliminary orders of forfeiture against the defendants for assets that were seized in the case, and money judgments totalling over $72,942,300.

The indictment in the case also charged 32 India-based conspirators and five India-based call centres with general conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. These defendants are yet to be arraigned in the case.

(IANS)

Mumbai doctors save micro-preemie baby born at 23 weeks weighing 620 grams

Mumbai: In a rare case, doctors here have given a new lease of life to a micro-preemie baby girl born at 23 weeks, weighing just 620 grams. Micro-preemies are babies...

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif to meet Chief Justice over ‘interference’ in judicial affairs by intelligence agencies

Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stepped into become a mediating partner between the judiciary and the powerful military establishment to avert a possible disastrous confrontation between the two....

CM not above law, says ED as Kejriwal questions rationale behind his arrest

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said a chief minister was not above law even as Arvind Kejriwal questioned the rationale behind his arrest in the liquor policy case....

Jitan Manjhi files nomination as NDA candidate from Gaya

Patna March : Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi filed his nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Gaya as the NDA nominee on Thursday. Voting for...

AAP accuses BJP of ‘poaching’ MP, MLA in Punjab

New Delhi: AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday alleged that BJP has poached their party's MP Sushil Kumar Rinku and MLA Sheetal Angural, and that "numerous MLAs...

Meghalaya CM thanks PM Modi for not fielding BJP candidates

Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fielding BJP candidates in two parliamentary seats in the state. The Chief Minister has been campaigning...

US State Dept staffer resigns over Washington’s Gaza policy

Washington: A US State Department staffer responsible for promoting human rights in regions including Gaza has resigned in protest of the continued delivery of weapons from the US to Israel....

SP changes Moradabad candidate, drops sitting MP

Moradabad (UP): The Samajwadi Party has cancelled the candidature of its sitting MP, S T Hasan, and has named Ruchi Veera as its candidate for the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat....

AAP’s lone Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar Sushil Kumar Rinku joins BJP

New Delhi: In a major political setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, the party's lone MP in the Lok Sabha, Sushil Kumar Rinku (48), joined the...

Chaudhary Lal Singh files nomination for Kathua-Udhampur LS seat in J&K

Jammu: Chaudhary Lal Singh of the Congress filed nomination for the Kathua-Udhampur Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday, the last date of filing papers for the constituency. Accompanied by dozens of...

Private information of 2.7 million Pakistanis compromised

Islamabad: A joint investigation team (JIT), which was formed to probe data leak from National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), has confirmed that the personal information of 2.7 million Pakistanis...

Sadanand Vasant appointed new NIA chief; BPRD, NDRF get new DGs

New Delhi: The Centre has appointed Sadanand Vasant Date as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while IPS officers Rajeev Kumar Sharma and Piyush Anand have been...

Read Previous

World–Sri Lanka India’s special, trusted partner: Modi

Read Next

Politics–Will tackle Modi’s hate with love: Rahul

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com