MACON, Georgia – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced today that it is joining the Justice Department’s Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force as part of its ongoing efforts to protect older adults and prosecute fraudsters in court. as one of 14 other US Attorney’s Offices.
Since 2019, current Strike Force members — including the Department’s Consumer Protection Division, six U.S. Attorneys, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations — have successfully filed lawsuits against the largest and most damaging global elder fraud schemes and worked with foreign law enforcement to disrupt criminal businesses, cripple their infrastructure and bring perpetrators to justice. The expansion of the Strike Force will help coordinate the Department’s ongoing efforts to combat sophisticated fraud schemes that target or disproportionately affect older adults. The expansion will increase the total number of U.S. Attorneys on the Strike Force from six to 20, including all U.S. Attorneys in the states of Georgia, Florida, Maryland, New York, Texas, Arizona and California.
“We are ramping up our efforts to protect older adults nationwide, including by more than tripling the number of U.S. law firms participating in our Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force dedicated to disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting foreign-based fraud programs, targeting American seniors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This expansion builds on the Justice Department’s existing work to hold accountable those who steal funds from older adults, including returning those funds to victims where possible.”
“Our involvement in the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force comes at a time when we are seeing bad actors using any means necessary to criminally evade money from unsuspecting citizens here in Georgia’s Middle District and across the country,” said US President Prosecutor Peter D. Leary. “The scams are fiendish, robbing money and dignity from people who have worked and sacrificed a lifetime. Working with our law enforcement partners in Georgia, our office will vigorously prosecute the federal attorney’s office against those intent on defrauding our senior citizens.”
The expansion of the Strike Force will further strengthen the Department’s existing efforts to protect older adults from fraud and exploitation. During the September 2021-September 2022 period, Department staff and its law enforcement partners prosecuted approximately 260 cases involving more than 600 defendants, bringing both new cases and advancing those previously charged. Matters tackled by the department and its partners ranged from mass marketing scams that affected thousands of victims to bad actors scamming their neighbors. Significant efforts have also been made in the last year to return money to victims of fraud and to combat grandparent fraud.
For the past year, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia has been prosecuting fraud cases targeting older Americans, including the recent prosecution of those involved in a statewide gift card scam. Hundreds of Americans, many elderly, have been harassed as part of the larger plan to criminally deprive people of their money. For more information on these prosecutions, visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/two-defendants-plead-guilty-resulting-separate-investigations-complex-wal-mart-gift.
As part of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia’s ongoing efforts to combat elder fraud, the office engages with the public to raise awareness of fraud, exploitation and victimization prevention. The office has a dedicated Elder Justice Fraud Coordinator – Assistant US Attorney Sean Deitrick – who focuses on the successful prosecution of elder abuse cases and provides training and development opportunities. Citizen groups and law enforcement agencies interested in learning more about training opportunities can contact Pam Lightsey, Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Middle District of Georgia, at pam.lightsey@usdoj.gov.
Over the past year, the ministry has notified over 550,000 people that they may be eligible for payments. Alerts were sent to consumers whose information was sold by one of the three data companies prosecuted by the ministry and who later became victims of “sweepstakes” or “astrology” solicitations that falsely promised prices or customized services for a fee. More than 150,000 of those victims cashed checks totaling $52 million, and thousands more are eligible to receive checks. Also notified were consumers who paid scammers who committed needy and labor fraud through Western Union. Over the past year, the department has identified and contacted over 300,000 consumers who may be eligible for waivers. As of March 2020, more than 148,000 victims have received more than $366 million as a result of a 2017 criminal order with Western Union over the company’s willful failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and its complicity in wire fraud.
For the past year, the department has prosecuted cases against perpetrators of “grandparent fraud,” also known as “person-in-need fraud.” These scams usually begin when a scammer, often based overseas, contacts an older adult and poses as either a grandchild, another family member, or someone calling on behalf of a family member. Call recipients are told that their family member is in danger and needs money urgently. When a federal judge recently convicted one of eight perpetrators of a grandparent fraud charged under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, he called such scams “heartbreakingly evil.” The Department is working with government partners and others to raise awareness of these programs.
Consumer reporting of fraud and attempted fraud is critical to law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute programs that target older adults. If you or someone you know is 60 years of age or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, the National Elder Fraud Hotline is available: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Crime Victims Office, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide callers with one-on-one support by assessing the victim’s needs and identifying next steps. Case managers identify appropriate hotlines, provide callers with information to assist in reporting or connect them to hotlines, and provide resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m[ET]. English, Spanish and other languages are available. For more information about the Department’s Elder Justice efforts, visit the Department’s Elder Justice website, www.elderjustice.gov.
Some of the cases comprising today’s announcement are counts that are allegations only, and the defendants will be presumed innocent unless and until proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
