SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A California man, 46-year-old Fabrisio Arias, was sentenced Friday to 41 months in federal prison for his involvement in a widespread international fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims across the United States, the Department of Justice announced in a press release.
The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta, who also ordered Arias to pay restitution of $395,536.05 to 22 victims who fell prey to the scam.
Arias, who resided in the city of Fontana, was part of a larger conspiracy that defrauded seniors by tricking them into believing they had won a sweepstakes prize. Victims were told they needed to pay a fee or tax before they could claim their purported winnings. Between November 2020 and September 2022, Arias helped launder the ill-gotten proceeds by receiving funds at his home and moving them through U.S.-based bank accounts.
According to the plea agreement, Arias worked closely with co-conspirators operating out of Costa Rica. The scammers, who used spoofed phone numbers to disguise their identities, contacted victims across the country. They posed as representatives of the Internal Revenue Service or the Federal Trade Commission and convinced the elderly victims to send money to Arias to cover the fictitious taxes or fees.
Arias would then deposit the fraudulent payments into his accounts, often using false names and other deceptive methods to conceal the true source of the money. He transferred the funds to his co-conspirators in Costa Rica and kept a substantial portion of the proceeds for himself.
The victims — many of whom were in their 70s, 80s, or 90s — suffered significant financial losses, the press released noted. Some had to resort to reverse mortgages, tap into college savings or return to work after retirement to make ends meet. One victim lost their entire 401(k) retirement account, while others lost their life savings.
Arias received more than $395,000 from the scam over nearly two years. More than $237,000 of that amount was sent to his co-conspirators, while Arias personally kept $157,000.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath of this scam. “These schemes can be difficult to identify and very appealing – when in doubt, hang up the phone and report suspicious callers to law enforcement.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Knarr added, ““Victimizing taxpayers by impersonating IRS employees is a serious crime,.”
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, which work together to combat fraud schemes targeting the elderly.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Swan.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a similar scam is encouraged to report it to the FBI at IC3.gov or call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD11.
