Fraudsters’ Telephone Scam Convinced Elderly Victims That They Had Won a Cash Lottery or Sweepstakes and Owed a “Fee" Before Collecting Their Winnings
A complaint was unsealed today, in federal court in Brooklyn, charging Kimberly Rojas Orozco, Alexander Brown, also known as “AJ Brown," and Troy Stanley with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in connection with a lottery telephone scam targeting elderly victims. The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly received approximately $260,000 in fraudulently obtained payments from their victims through bank wires or the mail system. The defendants were arrested today and they will make their initial appearances this afternoon at the federal courthouse in Baltimore, Maryland.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York, and Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, announced the arrests.
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendants defrauded elderly and vulnerable victims by making false promises of life-changing prizes and deceiving the hopeful victims into paying upfront fees," stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously pursue the perpetrators of these fraudulent schemes wherever they are located, and hold them accountable."
“These alleged fraudsters preyed on senior citizens, swindling them out of more than a quarter million dollars," said HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez. “Instead of showing respect to elders, these individuals chose to cheat them out of their savings; and, now they will be held responsible for their actions."
“Law enforcement must go the extra mile to protect the elderly, who cannot always protect themselves, and our investigators have done that in this collaborative investigation," said New Jersey Attorney General Grewal. “These defendants allegedly placed themselves in the lowest ranks of con artists by preying on seniors and callously targeting their life savings."
According to the complaint, between January 2014 and November 2017, the defendants and others engaged in a telephone scam through which callers convinced seniors that they had won a cash lottery or sweepstakes, and that a large fee or taxes must be paid before the senior could receive their lottery winnings. The defendants, together with others, received the purported “fees," approximately $260,000 identified to date, in the form of bank wires, money orders mailed to Brooklyn, or personal checks, and deposited the funds into their personal bank accounts.
The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment for wire and mail fraud conspiracy.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Losey Macchiaverna is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
KIMBERLY ROJAS OROZCO
Age: 28
Rockville, Maryland
ALEXANDER BROWN (also known as “AJ Brown")
Age: 28
Rockville, Maryland
TROY STANLEY
Age: 33
Randallstown, Maryland
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-MJ-249
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
