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May 19, 2020

Five Individuals Indicted for Their Roles in Defrauding Elderly Victims of More Than $4 Million

On March 11, 2020, in the District of Connecticut, Farouq Fasasi, Rodney Thomas Jr., Montrell Dobbs Jr., Stanley Pierre, and Ralph Pierre were charged in an 11-count indictment for their alleged participation in a lottery and romance scam. The indictment includes charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.

According to the indictment, on or around August 2015 and continuing through March 11, 2020, Fasasi, Thomas Jr., and coconspirators, as part of a scheme to defraud others, used various scams, including lottery and romance scams, to fraudulently induce primarily elderly victims to provide money, gifts, or personal details. In a lottery scam, scammers notify victims by telephone, through online communications, or by mail that they have won the lottery. The victims are then told that, in order to collect the prize, they must pay fees, including taxes. One of the victims, a resident of Colorado, was made to believe that he or she had to pay money for fees and a tax to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in order to receive the winnings.

In a romance scam, scammers take advantage of people looking for companionship by pretending to be prospective companions. Scammers create fake online profiles on dating websites that include false personal details. Once they gain the victim's trust, the scammers ask the victims for money, falsely claiming to need money for medical or business emergencies, for travel to see the victim, or for other purposes. It is alleged that members of the conspiracy defrauded victims of more than $4 million.

Fasasi and Thomas Jr., are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of mail fraud, and each charge carries a maximum prison term of 20 years. All five defendants could also face a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment on the charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Fasasi, Dobbs, Stanley Pierre, and Ralph Pierre are charged with one or more counts of money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment on each count.

    Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: D.Conn. Indict. filed March 11, 2020; and D.Conn. DOJ Press Release dated March 13, 2020.