Home Economy Economic Activity 2 men charged in scam that targeted R.I., Mass. seniors

2 men charged in scam that targeted R.I., Mass. seniors

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PBN Staff

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11/04/2024

6v7fYdjo-LlLmdU6w-p2eAEw4o-9EcP8RiM-PVMYynWF-gceDU78f-svXubYP8-courthouse-1-1 — TWO MEN have been charged in federal court for their allegedly roles in a grandparent scam that targeted seniors in multiple states including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary A. Cunha announced Monday. / COURTESY U.S. DISTRICT COURT

PROVIDENCE – Two men have been charged in federal court for their alleged roles in a grandparent scam that targeted seniors in multiple states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary A. Cunha announced Monday. Roberto Munoz, 29, of Hialeah, Fla, and Jason Rhodes, 34, of Flushing, N.Y., were arrested by Warwick

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PROVIDENCE – Two men have been charged in federal court for their alleged roles in a grandparent scam that targeted seniors in multiple states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary A. Cunha announced Monday. Roberto Munoz, 29, of Hialeah, Fla, and Jason Rhodes, 34, of Flushing, N.Y., were arrested by Warwick Police on March 8 as detectives were investigating the third complaint they had received in a single week from residents, alleging that they had been contacted by, or had fallen victim to, scammers. It is alleged that, after one set of grandparent victims had already turned over $18,000 to a courier to cover what they were told was bail for their grandson, the grandparents were contacted again and told that their grandchild was now being sued for $100,000, and that a $40,000 payment was immediately required. Recognizing that the demands were part of a scam, the victims contacted the Warwick Police Department, which set up surveillance inside and outside the couple's home while waiting for the courier to return. Rhodes was arrested at the house when he allegedly arrived to collect the money; Munoz was arrested while sitting in a car near the home, allegedly waiting the return of Rhodes. A court-authorized search of the vehicle and a nearby hotel room registered to Rhodes resulted in the seizure of more than $60,000 in cash and other items. An investigation by Warwick Police and Homeland Security Investigations determined that the defendants had allegedly been provided the names and addresses of scam victims in Coventry, Newport, Cranston, Hopkinton, West Greenwich, East Greenwich, Smithfield and, in Massachusetts, Braintree, Hanover, Plymouth, Scituate, Cohasset, Stoughton and Lakeville. A device allegedly seized from Rhodes at the time of his arrest contained chat messages sent to him by Munoz that appear to contain names and addresses of target victims and their grandchildren in Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia, Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Iowa, North Carolina and New Jersey. It is alleged that in March 2024, Munoz and Rhodes, operating as couriers, traveled to various locations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and collected approximately $230,000 in payments from unsuspecting victims in more than a dozen communities. Munoz and Rhodes were both charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. They appeared before a federal magistrate judge on Nov. 1 and were released on unsecured bond and GPS electronic monitoring. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Ly T. Chin.