Four Costa Ricans, including a mother and her two children, were sentenced to prison terms in the United States for participating in a criminal scheme to commit scams to the detriment of senior citizens for nearly $3.5 million.
The sentence was handed down by the Northern District Court of the State of Georgia located in the city of Atlanta. The Costa Ricans involved are a woman named Sánchez Valverde (47); her two children named Sibaja Sánchez (28 and 21) and a 44-year-old man named Orozco Aguilar. They all pleaded guilty.
According to the Civil Registry, they are originally from Pérez Zeledón and resided in Buford, a suburb located 45 minutes from Atlanta.
The prison sentences against the accused, ranging from five to two years, were handed down on December 7th. This is stated in a report published by the US Department of Justice.
The investigation determined that the group called seniors and tricked them by telling them that they had won a prize or the lottery. However, they had to make an advance payment to receive it. Most of the funds stolen from were sent to accounts in Costa Rica.
Byung Pak, the United States Attorney, said in September that victims sent payments by mail through personal and cash checks to addresses that were linked to mail boxes rented by the defendants.