Home Economy Government 13 charged in grandparent scheme that bilked 400 seniors out of $5M

13 charged in grandparent scheme that bilked 400 seniors out of $5M

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PBN Staff

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08/13/2025

Ransel Starlin Tavarez Jimenez — RANSEL STARLIN Tavarez Jimenez, of New York, is one of 13 suspects charged in a nationwide grandparent scheme that bilked 400 seniors ages 84 and older out of a total of $5 million, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley announced Tuesday. Tavarez Jimenez remains at large. / COURTESY OFFICE OF THE U.S. ATTORNEY FOR MASSACHUSETTS

BOSTON – Thirteen individuals have been charged in a nationwide grandparent scheme that bilked 400 seniors ages 84 and older out of a total of $5 million, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley, announced Tuesday. The suspects were allegedly part of a scheme that involved a “call center” operation that tricked the seniors into

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BOSTON – Thirteen individuals have been charged in a nationwide grandparent scheme that bilked 400 seniors ages 84 and older out of a total of $5 million, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley, announced Tuesday. The suspects were allegedly part of a scheme that involved a “call center” operation that tricked the seniors into believing that their grandchildren or other close family members were in trouble and needed money. It was unclear if any Rhode island residents fell victim to this scheme. Information on the charging document does not list victims by state nor region, only stating “at least 50 in Massachusetts” were affected. The attorney’s office could not be reached by phone. However, in a general email response, the office said it could not provide any additional information. In a press conference Tuesday, Foley announced that nine of the 13 suspects are in custody, while two remain at large in the U.S. and the other two are in the Dominican Republic. Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, one of the defendants in custody, allegedly oversaw the call centers in the Dominican Republic, according to the charging document. Castanos Garcia allegedly ran these call center locations with the help of several managers who allegedly supervised, instructed and paid the employees, the attorney’s office said. English-speaking co-conspirators would carry out the grandparent scheme. It would usually begin with an “opener” who would call seniors and pretend to be a grandson or granddaughter who was in an accident. The “closer” would then follow, pretending to be the grandchild’s lawyer asking for a sum of money to pay for the fees, which would be given to the “runners” in the United States. Most often, the attorney’s office said, the callers would instruct victims to give the packages with cash to ride-hailing drivers who were ordered to the targeted senior's house by a runner. The runners would then have the unsuspecting ride-hailing drivers deliver the packages to them at nearby locations. In some cases, the callers would direct the seniors to ship packages of cash to specified addresses via mail or commercial carriers. The call center allegedly called seniors again, asking for additional funds claiming there had been a “mix-up” or that a “pregnant woman’s baby was lost in the crash.” Operators of the scheme relied on money launderers in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic to transmit proceeds from seniors in the U.S. to Castanos Garcia and others in the Dominican Republic. In addition to Castanos Garcia, the following individuals are also in custody: Joel Jose Cruz Rodriguez, Edward Jose Puello Garcia, Joan Manuel Mathilda Leon, Luis German Santos Burgos, Gerardo Heriberto Nuñez, Andry Joel Baez Santana, Chaman Samael Silverio Balbuena and Manuel Nicolas Rivera Cueto. Ransel Starlin Tavarez Jimenez and Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon, both of New York; Jose Osvaldo Polanco Batista, of Florida; and Jose Arony Fermin Vasquez, of New Jersey, remain at large.