By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–Two more members of a nationwide “grandparent scam” network has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act known as RICO.
Joaquin Lopez, 46, of Hollywood, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday; Anajah Gifford, 23, of North Hollywood, California, pleaded guilty on May 5. They are the third and fourth of eight defendants to plead guilty; two are pending trial and two are fugitives.
According to court documents, the defendants were members and associates of a criminal enterprise that engaged in extortion and fraud to swindle more than $2 million from 70-plus elderly victims across the nation. At least 10 elderly victims who resided in San Diego County lost over $300,000 to the fraud. From approximately November 1, 2019, until October 14, 2020, the members of the criminal enterprise targeted elderly Americans, contacting them by phone and feeding them phony stories that their grandchildren were in legal trouble and needed money to pay for bail, pay medical expenses for car accident victims, or prevent additional charges from being filed. Members and associates obtained money from victims through in-person cash pick-ups, by mail or commercial carriers, or via wire transfers. Conspirators laundered the proceeds by transferring the funds or converting from fiat currency to cryptocurrency.
According to defendant Joaquin Lopez’s plea agreement, Lopez used bank accounts under his control to funnel victim proceeds for codefendant Tracy Knowles. As part of the guilty plea, Lopez agreed to forfeit $62,700 in proceeds from the offense. Lopez will also be subject to an order of restitution to the victims of the offense in the amount of at least $136,500.
According to defendant Anajah Gifford’s plea agreement, Gifford conducted cash pick-ups from victims under codefendant Timothy Ingram’s direction and helped Ingram pay unlawful proceeds to codefendant Knowles. She also recruited others to obtain additional bank accounts to receive money transfers from victims. As part of her guilty plea, Gifford agreed to forfeit $52,750 in proceeds she personally received from the offense and pay at least $1,235,406.93 to the victims in restitution.
“These defendants were part of a sophisticated criminal organization that exploited the tremendous love a grandparent has for a grandchild,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The victims were financially and emotionally devastated by callous people who thought only of enriching themselves. Because of the diligence of our prosecution team and law enforcement partners, these defendants have been brought to justice.”
“The FBI is proud to work with our local, state, and federal partners on San Diego’s Elder Justice Task Force to protect our elderly population with cases such as this,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “Our senior citizens deserve better than to be targeted by these criminal organizations and we are committed to pursuing them regardless of where they are located.”
This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, which is a collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the District Attorney’s Office, and all San Diego County law enforcement agencies.
