The FBI San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and partner agencies executed arrests and search warrants tied to an international call center fraud ring that allegedly scammed more than 500 U.S. seniors out of over $40 million, with a federal indictment unsealed on Nov. 5 charging 22 people in Southern California. The case centers on a multi-phase tech support and refund scam run from abroad, and authorities say many U.S.-based defendants worked as money transmitters who moved proceeds back to overseas leaders. Several defendants were arrested on November 5 and face both federal and state charges, and prosecutors have described a sprawling operation that has operated since at least July 2021. Court filings and law enforcement statements sketch a layered conspiracy involving recruitment, laundering, and live victim interactions.
International call center scheme targeted elderly Americans with losses of more than $40 million
The unsealed federal indictment alleges the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and to launder money as part of an organized international elder fraud operation. Authorities say the network ran a tech support scam to gain access and confidence, then followed with a refund scam to extract more funds from victims. The probe, led by the San Diego-based task force, involved more than 100 law enforcement personnel executing coordinated warrants on Nov. 5.
Court documents describe the operation as transnational, operating from India, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, and using multiple victim contact points to defraud elderly Americans. Investigators say victims were targeted repeatedly—first by fake technical-support calls that established credibility, then by refund calls promising to return money and instead siphoning more funds. The scheme is alleged to have been active since at least July 2021, allowing losses to accumulate over several years.
So far the FBI reports identifying over 500 suspected or confirmed U.S. victims with an approximate loss amount exceeding $40 million. Those figures come from victim reports and financial tracing described in court filings. Investigators continue to work through records to document the full scope of the harm and identify additional victims and handlers.
Seth Michael Sheldon, Age: 23; Jose Anthony Cardenas Ortiz, Age: 25; Jose Lauro Luiz Munoz, Age: 48; Matthew Brandon Oh-Slack, Age: 26; Ryan Navarro Anorma, Age: 47; Malique Jordan Shaw, Age: 26; Kenneth Odin Lara, Age: 40; Steven Ray Basic, Age: 21; Nicholas Edward Webber, Age: 24; Jonathan Enriquez Limfueco, Age: 42; Christina Michele Asmus, Age: 45; Andrew Butch Divine, Age: 30; Joshua Estrada, Age: 46; Zachariah Michael T S Siganoff, Age: 30; Edgar Galindez, Age: 32; All are from San Diego.
Those named in the list above are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and face a maximum of 40 years in prison under the statutes cited in the indictment. The indictment ties their alleged roles to the broader scheme of initiating contact, collecting funds, and transmitting proceeds onward. Prosecutors allege coordinated activity that spanned multiple counties and relied on a chain of domestic transmitters.
Also charged are Victor Lee Marion, age 41; Justin Lewis, age 24; Michael Jeeho Yi, age 25; Andre Hammond Jr, age 26; Iman Shenko Abdulbasir, age 23; Carlo Humberto Hernandez, age 45, and Donel Gem Gutierrez Labaco, age 38. All of the above are from San Diego. Court filings describe varying roles for these individuals, many tied to receiving and moving victim funds within the United States.
Those defendants listed above are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and face a maximum of 20 years in prison, according to the indictment. Charging documents portray them primarily as money transmitters who accepted elder-fraud proceeds and forwarded large sums overseas. Federal authorities emphasize those laundering functions were central to the transnational group’s ability to extract and hide stolen assets.
“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. FBI San Diego and our local and federal law enforcement partners will relentlessly investigate those who prey on our senior community and ensure they are held fully accountable.”
Court documents break the alleged operation into three distinct phases: the Opener Phase (a tech support scam); the Closer Phase (a refund scam); and the Money Transmitter Phase (money laundering of refund scam proceeds to entities whose products are used to facilitate the scheme and transmission of funds back to overseas actors). Each phase is described as relying on specialized roles, with openers establishing access and closers completing the financial extraction. The money transmitter layer allegedly processed and moved funds to hide origins and deliver profits to overseas leaders.
The indictment alleges most charged defendants acted primarily as money transmitters, while a subset were promoted within the criminal organization to take live calls and run refund operations. Those elevated actors reportedly took part in the refund scam directly, speaking with victims to finalize fraudulent transfers. Investigators say that on-the-job training and staged shadowing helped convert transmitters into closers for the scheme.
San Diego resident Victor Marion is named in court records as an alleged organizer of U.S.-based money laundering activity, accused of receiving millions in elder fraud funds and sending the bulk overseas. Marion is alleged to have coordinated directly with leaders based in India and Dubai and to have run the San Diego money laundering cell since at least fall 2023. The filings claim Marion used business fronts and personal networks to recruit and manage the domestic flow of stolen funds.
According to court filings, Marion allegedly used his business—Mecca Barbershop—to recruit money launderers and consolidate elderly victim funds. As the leader of the San Diego money laundering cell, Marion is alleged to have received a percentage of the fraud funds that were laundered through the 20-plus co-conspirators working under his purview. The documents allege he helped money launderers move into higher levels of the organization, including opportunities to work abroad.
Investigators say foreign leaders enticed San Diego-based money transmitters with all-expenses-paid trips to Thailand that included luxurious treatment, training, and shadowing of closers on live calls. Those trips allegedly featured detailed instruction, villa stays, and promises of advancement for participants who agreed to take on greater roles. Law enforcement describes the trips as both reward and recruitment tool for expanding the overseas arm of the scheme.
In addition to the arrests, authorities seized multiple bank accounts tied to the alleged fraud and recovered a BMW believed to have been purchased with victim funds. Marion and 18 alleged co-conspirators were arrested on November 5 and are scheduled to make initial appearances later in the week. The case remains active as investigators continue financial tracing and follow-up interviews.
The investigation was led by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, 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. Additional assistance came from local and regional FBI resident agencies, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit, and municipal police partners. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Goff and Shivanjali Sewak are prosecuting the case in federal court.
