Fort Lauderdale Wire Fraud Attorney
This section of this Website will deal with fraud cases specific to those perpetrated by wire. These alleged crimes utilize either wire, such as a telephone or telegraph, or making use of radio and/or television as well as transmission via the Internet.
Mr. Cohen’s Law Firm specializes in federal charges such as wire fraud.
If you or someone you care about has been accused of this charge, a Fort Lauderdale Wire Fraud Attorney can craft a proper strategy to fight this allegation.
In the News – April 2017
In a recent case relating to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight more suspects were arrested here in Miami, Florida, in the spring of 2017. The original arrest warrant was for eleven individuals.
Two of the suspects were charged last year and one of them is still at large.
The original criminal complaint charged that eleven individuals working in tandem contacted victims by a wire source while impersonating Internal Revenue Service agents for the purpose of obtaining money from them by falsely suggesting that they owed back taxes and fees.
Their plan was a success because of the unyielding threat and intimidation tactics that were placed upon their targets.
Based on available court documents, the suspects knowingly conspired to commit wire fraud by fraudulently impersonating IRS agents and demanding payments under such false pretenses.
Contact from the perpetrators was made by telephone claiming to be IRS agents, telling their anticipated victims that the Agency would have them arrested if payment was not provided immediately.
The targets of the scam received these phone calls persuading them that they owed money to the IRS, and would be arrested directly if they didn’t comply by sending funds by various methods such as Walmart2Walmart Money Transfer, MoneyGram among other wire services
The total amount of money the suspects were responsible for pilfering amounted to close to nine million dollars which swindled more than seven thousand victims.
Seven of the suspects will face Indictments that were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. They are Yosvany Padilla, Cruz, Alfredo Echevarria Rios, Angel Chapotin Carrillo, Alejandro Valdes, Ricardo Fontanella Caballero, and Esequiel Bravo Diaz.
The two suspects that were previously arrested last year, Dennis Delgado Caballero and Jeniffer Valerino Nunez were also indicted in that District Court. Joel Leon Pando’s Indictment was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. The suspect who remains on the run is allegedly known to be Lazaro Hernandez Fleitas.
The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and agents from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s office directed the investigations that led to the multiple arrests.
Use Common Sense
IRS impersonation scams are not a unique occurrence.
Since 2013 it’s been reported that more than fifty-five million dollars has been swindled from unsuspecting and ill-advised taxpayers; according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. As a Wire Fraud Attorney working out of Fort Lauderdale I’ve been party to the workings of many cases of this type.
Don’t be a Victim
If you receive a phone call, an email or a personal solicitation that threatens your arrest due to overdue payments to the IRS, think twice before complying with the demand and call the IRS directly before issuing a payment to anyone.
According to J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration “No legitimate employee of the United States Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service will demand that anyone make payments” using the money transferring methods such as those mentioned above.
He also said to be aware of would be offenders exerting pressure on you or a family member for this type of scam while explaining that the funds can be transferred using other prepaid debit cards such as the commonly used popular iTunes card.
If You Need a Fort Lauderdale Wire Fraud Lawyer
It is important to understand that an arrest for Wire Fraud is a federal offense. A large percentage of Attorneys who practice in Fort Lauderdale do not have the required training to properly defend Wire Fraud charges or other cases that fall under federal jurisdiction.
If you, a close friend or family member require the services of a lawyer who practices in Fort Lauderdale that has vast experience in federal defense, Mr. Cohen’s qualifications and prior service as an Assistant Federal Prosecutor will assist with the making of a proper choice when selecting suitable representation and crafting a winning defense.