PORTLAND, Ore.-Lozaro Sopo Lopez, 26, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced today to 40 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for his role in a large scheme to defraud banks located in Oregon and elsewhere of more than $900,000.
Sopo Lopez is the seventh defendant sentenced for crimes associated with the scheme beginning in at least January 2017 and continuing until January 2018. Two other co-conspirators have been indicted in the District of Oregon for related criminal conduct, but remain at large.
According to court documents, Sopo Lopez and his co-conspirators recruited individuals to deposit fraudulent checks at various banks. These individuals-referred to as “mules"-were given checks with their names typed or written on them and driven to banks to attempt deposits. Sopo Lopez and his co-conspirators instructed the individuals to use coded messages to communicate their success or failure at the banks.
When the co-conspirators received proceeds from the fraudulent deposits, they would make cash deposits into Florida-based bank accounts. These deposits were structured to avoid detection by law enforcement. Shortly thereafter, other co-conspirators withdrew the cash in Florida. In total, the scheme resulted in an estimated loss of at least $911,444 to various banks and credit unions in Oregon and Washington.
Sentenced defendants include:
* Arley Gonzalez, 34, of Miami, Florida-57 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, and a $64,460 forfeiture money judgement
* Antonio Conde Cabrera, 35, of Miami, Florida-41 months in prison, five years’ supervised release, and a $151,810 forfeiture money judgement
* Miguel Betancourt, 39, of Miami, Florida-33 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, and a $40,820 forfeiture money judgement
* Luis Chavez, 47, of Miami, Florida-39 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, and a $45,735 forfeiture money judgement
* Yusniel Paez Rodriguez, 36, of Miami, Florida-50 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, and a $31,222 forfeiture money judgement
* Ronny Vazquez, 33, of Miami, Florida-37 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, and a $17,698 forfeiture money judgement
During sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Marco A. Hernandez ordered Sopo Lopez to pay $652,926 in restitution and $22,888 to satisfy a forfeiture money judgement. All sentenced defendants were jointly and severally ordered to pay $652,926 in restitution.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Vancouver Police Department, and Portland Police Bureau and prosecuted by Julia E. Jarrett and Seth D. Uram, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
