United States Attorney General William P. Barr and U.S. Attorney Trent Shores today announced the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history, surpassing last year’s nationwide sweep. The cases during this sweep involved more than 260 defendants from around the globe who victimized more than two million Americans, most of them elderly.
The Northern District of Oklahoma was actively involved during the sweep. In February, a federal grand jury indicted Charles D. Parnell, 36; Rodney A. Mosley, 39; and Brittany Mayall, 30, for conspiracy to steal mail, theft of mail, and possession of stolen mail from the Mounds Post Office. The stolen items were used to fraudulently create identities of local senior citizens and to defraud those citizens of more than $5,000.
“Crimes against the elderly target some of the most vulnerable people in our society,” Attorney General William P. Barr said. “But thanks to the hard work of our agents and prosecutors, as well as our state and local partners, the Department of Justice is protecting our seniors from fraud. The Trump administration has placed a renewed focus on prosecuting those who prey on the elderly, and the results of today’s sweep make that clear. Today we are announcing the largest single law enforcement action against elder fraud in American history. This year’s sweep involves 13 percent more criminal defendants, 28 percent more in losses, and twice the number of fraud victims as last year’s sweep. I want to thank the Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, which led this effort, together with the Department’s Criminal Division, the more than 50 U.S. Attorneys’ offices, and the state and local partners who helped to make these results possible. Together, we are bringing justice and peace of mind to America's seniors.”
“Criminals steal more than an estimated $3 billion from senior citizens every year. Those who target the elderly will receive the attention of our law enforcement officials in northeastern Oklahoma. We will work with our senior citizens to empower them with knowledge and awareness so that they can defend themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Fake prizes, health care, tech support, IRS imposters, and grandkids scams are just a few of the schemes used to target seniors and deprive them of their hard earned savings.”
The Department of Justice took action in every federal district, through the filing of criminal or civil cases or through consumer education efforts. In each case, offenders allegedly engaged in financial schemes that targeted or largely affected seniors. In total, the charged elder fraud schemes caused alleged losses of millions of more dollars than last year, putting the total alleged losses at this year’s sweep at over three fourths of one billion dollars.
The charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Since President Trump signed the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (EAPPA) into law, the Department of Justice has participated in hundreds of enforcement actions in criminal and civil cases that targeted or disproportionately affected seniors. The Justice Department has likewise conducted hundreds of trainings and outreach sessions across the country since the passage of the Act.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma participates in the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative, which supports and coordinates the enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s seniors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wilson is the district’s Elder Abuse Coordinator. He is responsible for leading federal law enforcement elder justice investigations and community outreach programs. Since October, Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Victim Witness Specialists have held four outreach events attended by more than 200 seniors and healthcare specialists.
For more information about the Elder Justice Initiative and available resources, click HERE.
A fact-sheet with technical-support fraud case information can be found here.
A fact-sheet with cases on mass mailing fraud can be found HERE.
A fact-sheet with examples of a few elder fraud cases involving extradition in which the Office of International Affairs played a substantial role can be found here.