Two Mexican nationals were brought to the U.S. this week after being charged in a federal timeshare resale fraud that allegedly bilked owners out of more than $40 million, with international law enforcement cooperation and a string of federal charges now moving through the courts.
Two Mexican nationals were extradited to the United States this week after being indicted in a federal court in San Antonio for allegedly running a timeshare fraud resale scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. The defendants named in the indictment are Christian Felipe Rodriguez Peraza, also known as Jose Mario Ochoa Rodriguez, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, and his wife Brenda Tamayo Corona, also known as Jazmin Oliva Chacon. Co-defendants include Michael Ian Hollands, of the United Kingdom, and Yorlena Alfonso Cuesta.
According to court documents, the group allegedly preyed on U.S. citizens who owned timeshares on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Victims were told their properties had been sold and then pressured to pay upfront fees and taxes to collect proceeds that never existed. The scheme targeted trust and used urgency to push people, including elderly owners, into sending money.
The alleged fraudsters posed as U.S. and Mexican government officials and even used the names of real American lawyers to lend false credibility to their claims. An indictment alleges Rodriguez, through Hollands and other co-conspirators, laundered the victims’ funds through U.S.-based entities and bank accounts. The indictment alleges the group, led by Rodriguez, stole more than $40 million from timeshare owners.
“Many of the elderly victims in this case sent all the money they had and more based on the lies told to them by this group of fraudsters,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “In case you haven’t noticed, this Department of Justice is uniquely committed to rooting out fraud in all of its forms, especially fraud conducted against Americans by transnational criminal organizations like this one. The long arm of American justice will continue to reach out and touch those who seek to enrich themselves to the detriment of Americans.”
Rodriguez, Tamayo, Hollands, and Cuesta are each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Those counts reflect serious federal offenses that carry heavy penalties if proven. Prosecutors are treating this as a coordinated international operation rather than isolated scams.
“Our criminal investigators have been at the center of this investigation as a core part of our responsibility to detect and prevent threats to the integrity of Treasury programs and operations,” said Deputy Inspector General Loren Sciurba for the Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General. “Impersonation of government agencies victimizes countless Americans daily. We are proud that these joint law enforcement efforts have brought these individuals to justice.”
https://x.com/USDOJ_Intl/status/2095247261798162615
Rodriguez and Tamayo were arrested in France earlier this year and, on Monday, were extradited to the United States. They made their initial court appearances Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kelly Stephenson of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud charge and 20 years for the money laundering conspiracy charge.
“This alleged $40 million scheme was a brazen attempt to exploit timeshare owners and profit from deception, and we will continue working to identify and disrupt fraud schemes that target the public,” said DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D. “We thank our federal and international partners for their tireless efforts to hold those accused of these crimes accountable.”
The third charge, conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Any final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. These potential penalties reflect both the financial harm alleged and the cross-border nature of the operation.
“The fraud network uncovered through this investigation represents a calculated and deeply harmful scheme driven by international criminals who preyed on U.S. timeshare owners,” said Jeffrey Tyler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “The FBI remains fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent criminal organizations and ensure that those responsible for exploiting victims and laundering their proceeds are held accountable.”
Co-defendants Hollands and Cuesta were previously apprehended, and their matters are currently pending in U.S. courts. The case remains active as investigators and prosecutors work through the evidence and prepare for motions and potential trial dates. Victims and their families are part of the ongoing federal focus on dismantling the operation.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and the FBI, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Chung is prosecuting the case, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of France to secure the arrests and extradition of Rodriguez Peraza and Tamayo Corona to the United States.
