In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg have announced increased efforts by the Justice Department to protect seniors from fraud schemes that cost victims billions of dollars. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has prosecuted several individuals involved in such schemes and conducted outreach to educate law enforcement.
“Prosecutors across the country are stepping up the fight against malicious schemes that target older Americans,” said Attorney General Bondi. “We are working with domestic law enforcement and foreign counterparts every day to hold criminals accountable and ensure that justice is done for our seniors both here at home and abroad.”
“Our Office is committed to identifying and prosecuting fraudsters who target elderly citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Hertzberg. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to bring opportunistic scammers to justice and ensure they get the punishment they deserve.”
The approach involves prosecuting those involved in elder fraud schemes, both domestically and internationally, while also engaging with community groups to prevent such scams.
Elder fraud commonly includes romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support scams, and grandparent scams. Recent prosecutions include cases like U.S. v. Parikh et al., where Pradip Parikh and Alpesh Patel were convicted for their roles in laundering money from an Indian call center scam targeting seniors.
In another case, Rederic Young, Randolph Leggs, and Kendall Grey were implicated in a retirement account takeover scheme involving bank fraud.
Outreach efforts include participation in an Elder Abuse Training event on June 11, 2025, aimed at educating law enforcement officials about elder abuse prevention.
The National Elder Fraud Hotline offers assistance to older adults experiencing financial fraud. It is staffed by professionals trained to help victims report incidents and find local resources.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is part of the Department of Justice’s Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force which focuses on investigating international scams affecting American seniors.
For more information about these initiatives or to report elder fraud complaints, various resources are available through the Department of Justice's websites or contact numbers provided in their communications.
