A Florida man and a group of fraudsters were indicted for operating a sophisticated international financial scheme that reaped about $60 million from small businesses, nonprofits and local governments over a five-year period, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Erick Jason Victoria-Brito, 30, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to the Big Apple to face federal bank fraud and money laundering charges in US District Court, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Prosecutors said Victoria-Brito was part of a six-person crew that created thousands of fake businesses, bank accounts and emails to trick an American sports organization, a publicly traded healthcare company, and an international nonprofit into sending them money.
The alleged swindlers also targeted law firms, construction companies, investment funds and multiple city governments as the group attempted to steal more than $150 million between December 2017 and November 2022, prosecutors said.
“As we allege, Erick Jason Victoria-Brito and his co-conspirators ran an international bank fraud and money laundering scheme designed to help carry out business email compromise scams,” US Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said in a statement.
“These scams cause significant harm to businesses, nonprofits, and even local governments. As the successful extradition of Erick Jason Victoria-Brito shows, this Office and our partners will not rest until every individual responsible is held accountable.”
Prosecutors said the accused scammers created more than 1,000 fake businesses, which were then used to open fraudulent bank accounts to receive the stolen funds — also known as a business email compromise scheme.
The money was then wired to banks in China to prevent the victimized businesses from recouping their losses, which the feds estimate is more than $60 million.
“This alleged scheme rained down financial ruin upon unwitting businesses and individuals,” US Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Freaney said.
“While the suspects operated with impunity across the nation and beyond, the U.S. Secret Service and its partners remained steadfast in building a strong case – no matter where the evidence took them. I commend the investigators and prosecutors for their commitment to disrupting this type of insidious fraud on behalf of all those victimized by it.”
Rene Victoria Rodriguez, Ashly Camacho Soto, Paul Antonio Liz, Luis Furniel Vasquez and Abel Rodriguez Toribio were also charged in the two-count indictment with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
If convicted on both counts, the Hollywood resident faces a combined 50 years behind bars.
