A multi-agency investigation led by the FBI San Diego Field Office made 19 arrests today as part of an investigation into an alleged international criminal network believed to have scammed senior citizens out of more than $400 million, authorities reported.
A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California charges 22 people in Southern California over their alleged roles in the alleged far-flung conspiracy to steal money from hundreds of U.S. seniors through a tech-support and refund scam.
The San Diego Elder Justice Task Force led the investigation into the alleged scheme, which, according to prosecutors, operates out of India, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates and has been going on since at least July 2021.
Investigators have identified more than 500 suspected or confirmed U.S. victims of the purported crimes, according to the FBI.
"As today's numerous arrests confirm, FBI San Diego's Elder Justice Task Force and its partner agencies are leading the charge against fraudsters targeting American seniors," said Mark Dargis, special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. "Our nation's elderly citizens deserve to be treated with respect, not scammed out of their hard-earned savings by criminals exploiting their trust."
According to court documents, the scheme also involves money laundering of refund-scam proceeds to entities whose products are used to facilitate the crimes and coordinate transmission of funds overseas.
A San Diego resident, Victor Lee Marion, 41, allegedly orchestrated U.S.-based co-conspirators in Southern California to receive millions of dollars stolen from victims and transfer the majority of the money overseas.
Marion purportedly maintained direct communication with India- and Dubai-based leaders of the transnational criminal organization and ran its San Diego-based money-laundering cell since at least the fall of 2023.
According to court documents, Marion used his business, Mecca Barbershop, to recruit money launderers and consolidate victim funds.
As leader of the San Diego money-laundering cell, Marion received a percentage of the fraud funds that were laundered through the 20-plus co- conspirators working under his purview, according to the FBI. Marion allegedly helped those money launderers graduate into higher levels of the organization, including by relocating abroad to defraud American senior citizens out of India and Dubai.
Marion and 18 of his alleged co-conspirators will make initial court appearances in the case this week, according to the FBI.
If convicted of the charges in the criminal complaint, most of the defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The San Diego Elder Justice Task Force is a collaboration among the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, the San Diego District Attorney's Office, Adult Protective Services and the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center.
