Four Dominican nationals have pleaded guilty and another has been sentenced for their roles in a transnational call center operation that defrauded hundreds of elderly victims in the United States, resulting in over $5 million in losses, according to a July 15 announcement by federal authorities. The investigation identified more than 400 victims with an average age of 84, including at least 50 from Massachusetts.
Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, Joel Jose Cruz Rodriguez (also known as “Paflow”), Edward Jose Puello Garcia, and Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud as well as money laundering conspiracy. They were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024, arrested in August 2025 in the Dominican Republic at the request of the United States, extradited, and detained pending trial. A fifth defendant, Luis German Santos Burgos, was sentenced on June 25 to four years in prison and three years of supervised release for his involvement.
A sixth defendant, Gerardo Heriberto Nuñez Nuñez, agreed to plead guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy related to moving scam proceeds from the United States back to the Dominican Republic. According to charging documents, Castanos Garcia led call centers where employees impersonated grandchildren or attorneys over the phone—a tactic known as “grandparent scams”—to convince elderly individuals that family members were in trouble and needed money. Victims were instructed either to hand cash packages over to runners or rideshare drivers sent by conspirators or ship funds via mail.
The scheme often involved repeated calls requesting additional funds under various pretexts such as legal fees or fabricated emergencies. Runners deposited victim funds into bank accounts set up by co-conspirators or delivered them directly; launderers like Nuñez Nuñez facilitated moving these proceeds internationally through purported business accounts and hand deliveries.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts is responsible for prosecuting this case alongside agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division. Members of the public who believe they may be victims are encouraged to contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Suspected fraud can also be reported through the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts serves all residents statewide with offices at multiple locations including Boston’s John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse; it enforces federal laws covering crimes such as national security threats and civil rights violations while advancing community initiatives on civil rights and violence prevention; it employs more than 200 attorneys, paralegals and professional staff; it is part of the Department of Justice, according to its official website.