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British national admits role in construction, money laundering scheme

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PBN Staff

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06/13/2025

A BRITISH national from Northern Ireland admitted to a federal judge that he participated in multistate construction and money laundering scheme and that he provided false information to gain entry into the United States, said Acting U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Sara M. Bloom. / COURTESY U.S. DISTRICT COURT

PROVIDENCE – A British national from Northern Ireland admitted to a federal judge that he participated in multistate construction and money laundering scheme and that he provided false information to gain entry into the United States, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Sara M. Bloom. Elijah Gavin, 29, who also went by Timothy

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PROVIDENCE – A British national from Northern Ireland admitted to a federal judge that he participated in multistate construction and money laundering scheme and that he provided false information to gain entry into the United States, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Sara M. Bloom. Elijah Gavin, 29, who also went by Timothy O’Reilly and Elijah Thomas, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering. He is being detained in federal custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11. Gavin and his co-conspirators were accused of defrauding property owners in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York of more than $1 million, including a 78-year-old Rhode Island woman who paid more than $850,000 for unnecessary foundation and basement repairs. According to court documents, Gavin, who was in the U.S. illegally, and his co-conspirators allegedly went to different cities and states soliciting construction work. Bloom says they often quoted a low price and then, after further inspection, allegedly either demanded more money or persuaded the homeowner that their homes or businesses needed major repairs. The group, recognized by the FBI’s Terrorist Screen Center as a transnational organized crime croup called the “Common Travelers,” would allegedly hire day laborers who did not have work authorization documents or pull permits, Bloom says. They would allegedly also do low-quality, unnecessary or incomplete work, sometimes damaging homeowners’ residences. The group formed and allegedly used multiple construction businesses and falsely represented the business's status, experience and quality of work, Bloom says. They also allegedly falsely represented their identities and skills to homeowners and made false representations to property owners regarding their properties’ condition, work they would perform, and the needed machinery, materials and equipment for work. Bloom testified that the money was collected for unfinished jobs or work that wasn’t included, and property owners paid for equipment that was never used on the site, according to court documents. Funds that the conspiracy allegedly collected were deposited into bank accounts controlled by co-conspirators or transferred to other individuals who laundered the fraudulently obtained monies.