U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced that Mohamed Khaled Sakr, a 31-year-old resident of Montreal, Quebec, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for his role in a wire fraud conspiracy targeting the elderly. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Sakr has also been ordered to pay $262,500 in restitution to 18 elderly victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who prosecuted the case, explained that between May 8 and May 13, 2023, Sakr participated in a conspiracy to defraud elderly victims. Members of the scheme contacted elderly individuals posing as a relative or loved one, claiming they had been jailed for driving while intoxicated following a purported car accident. The victims were told that their loved ones could be released only if they posted cash bail on their behalf. The conspiracy involved using "money mules" or "bail bondsmen" to collect the money from the victims. Sakr was one of these money mules, retrieving $262,500 from the victims and attempting to collect an additional $9,500.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, led by Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office, directed by Sheriff David Linder, the New York State Police, under Major Kevin Sucher, and the Monroe Crime Analysis Center.
