Three residents of Miami have been accused of engaging in a fraudulent crypto scheme by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Esteban Cabrera Da Corte, Luis Hernandez Gonzalez, and Asdrubal Ramirez Meza were alleged to have duped several banks and a crypto platform of over $4 million.
In its recent announcement, the DOJ noted that it had commenced every necessary process to present the three suspects before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the agency, the individuals allegedly used fake identities to acquire huge virtual assets. Afterward, the trio deceived their banks that the transactions were not authorized, demanding a refund. The banks reversed the transactions and redeposited the funds into their accounts. Shortly after, they withdrew the funds from their respective bank accounts.
A U.S attorney has reacted to the development. According to the attorney, the suspects deceived “U.S banks into believing that they were the victims of someone else’s fraud.” He, however, commended the efforts of the El Dorado Task Force, saying it helped uncover their duplicity. The attorney said the trio would be facing serious federal charges and prosecuted in line with the laws of the land. They are liable to get about 30 years in federal prison for the offense.
According to the task force’s anti-special agent, J.Patel, “Cabrera, Hernandez, and Ramirez coordinated this large-scale operation to launder millions of dollars through crypto exchanges and U.S. banks, ultimately exploiting the virtual currency market and the U.S. financial system.”
Patel said the El Dorado task force secured intelligence as regards the crime and organized the arrests of the perpetrators. The official reiterates the task force’s commitment to collaborating with other sister agencies in the Southern District of New York to combat any subsequent occurrences of crypto fraud.
The DOJ noted that the trio initiated accounts with the unnamed crypto exchange to perpetuate the fraudulent scheme. They employed fake U.S passports, driver’s licenses, and stolen personal information. To better actualize their illicit activities, the DOJ said they linked their bank accounts with their accounts on the exchange. The accused reportedly made numerous deposits via ATMs of the bank accounts to purchase cryptocurrencies from the exchange subtly.
The agency noted that it intends to charge the suspects with allegations of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.”
