Man Sentenced to 98 Months for $700K Fraud Scheme Targeting Immigrants

Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano sentenced for running a transnational fraud scheme that extorted over 1,100 victims.Photo byPetr MacháčekonUnsplash

Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano was sentenced to 98 months in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $700,000 in restitution for his involvement in overseeing a transnational fraud conspiracy that targeted over 1,100 victims, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced today.

According to the department, Zuñiga, 40, of Lima, Peru, operated a Peruvian call center that defrauded Spanish-speaking U.S. residents by falsely threatening them with arrest, legal action, and immigration consequences if they did not comply with fraudulent demands.

Zuñiga was extradited from Peru in March to face charges related to the scheme and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July, according to the department.

Court documents indicate that Zuñiga’s call center placed unsolicited calls to Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States, falsely claiming they had won free products, such as computer tablets or English language courses.

Later, Zuñiga and his co-conspirators demanded large payments, claiming the victims were contractually obligated to pay for the products they had supposedly won.

The department revealed that Zuñiga and his co-conspirators impersonated lawyers, court officials, and police officers to intimidate victims, threatening them with legal action, arrest, and immigration consequences.

They specifically targeted recent immigrants by querying their country of origin and leveraging their immigration status to induce fear and extract payments, the department stated.

After making initial payments, victims were contacted again by Zuñiga’s call center, where the fraudsters, posing as U.S. lawyers, falsely claimed the victims were entitled to restitution.

To secure these fictitious refunds, victims were told they needed to pay additional fees. No restitution payments were ever made, and the additional funds were pocketed by Zuñiga and his associates.

As part of his sentence, Zuñiga was ordered to pay $696,460 in restitution to his victims, the department stated.

“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, to include the elderly and recent immigrants,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida.

“We will not allow transnational criminals to use fear tactics and intimidation to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located.”