A man resident of Peru is accused of conspiracy, wire fraud and extortion and if convicted, could face up to 20 years in prison.
A 36-year-old man from Lima, Peru, was extradited on Wednesday to the United States where he will face federal charges for wire fraud, extortion and conspiracy, according to the Department of Justice and the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
David Cornejo Fernández was arrested on May 17 by the Peruvian authorities and remained in prison until his extradition was requested and finalized in December.
The man was presented in federal court in Miami.
According to the indictment, from November 2012 to June 2019, Cornejo provided Internet-based phone lines, caller ID spoofing services, and recording capabilities to fraudulent call centers. Likewise, the man would have provided his accomplices in Peru with technology to make fraudulent and extortionate calls to vulnerable Spanish-speaking people in the United States.
The men Cornejo worked with falsely assured victims that they had been selected to receive prizes, such as tablets with English courses. Later, they were required to pay large amounts to receive these prizes, according to the indictment.
When the victims refused, the scammers threatened serious consequences, such as legal proceedings, arrests or effects on their immigration status. Scammers posed as lawyers, court officials, federal agents and police officers to intimidate and extort victims.
USCIS calls were falsified
The indictment reveals that Cornejo allegedly provided software and, at times, training to his accomplices to convincingly impersonate government officials and manipulated telephone numbers on caller IDs, making it appear that the threats came from federal agencies, judicial officials or American security forces.
The man would have installed recordings on the incoming lines of his collaborators that pretended to be from courts, police departments and US federal agencies, such as the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
These recordings strengthened the credibility of the threatening calls, used to extort consumers in the Southern District of Florida and other places in the country.
“The Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Division will pursue and prosecute transnational criminals who prey on vulnerable consumers in the U.S.,” said Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice's Civil Division. .
The indictment, filed in February 2023 and revealed after Cornejo's extradition, includes six charges: conspiracy, electronic fraud and extortion. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. A federal judge will determine the sentence considering sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.
This case was investigated by the USPIS and received support from several agencies, including the Peruvian National Police and the Peruvian Attorney General's Office.
The authorities have called on people that if they know someone who has suffered financial fraud, they can contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline where assistance is available in English, Spanish and other languages.