A Dominican national living in New Jersey admitted he laundered cash taken from elderly Americans through a classic grandparent scam, pleading guilty in federal court on May 4, 2026, with sentencing set for September 8, 2026, and investigators from the FBI and other agencies, including the New York City Police Department, credited with building the case.
Engels Guillermo Almengot Valerio, 26, pleaded guilty to one count before Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer on May 4, 2026, acknowledging his role in a fraud-and-laundering conspiracy that preyed on seniors. The criminal complaint and court filings lay out how fraud proceeds flowed from victims to conspirators, and how Valerio helped move the cash to hide its origin. This plea resolves the charge in federal court but places the defendant on a path toward a federal sentencing hearing later this year.
The scheme is described in court records as a familiar and cruel variation of a grandparent fraud scam, where callers in the Dominican Republic impersonated relatives in crisis and then handed the phone to someone posing as a lawyer or bail bondsman to demand immediate payment. Conspirators instructed victims to hand over cash to unwitting intermediaries, a setup that separated the callers from direct contact with the stolen funds and helped disguise the flow of money.
Investigators say the operation turned rideshare drivers into unintended pickup agents, arranging for them to collect cash from elderly victims across the United States and deliver it to waiting coconspirators. Law enforcement traced a chain of orders and handoffs, determining that Valerio placed the rides, received the cash from drivers, and then funneled the proceeds through multiple bank accounts to obscure their origin. Prosecutors identified activity tied to the Western District of Pennsylvania and extended the scope of the alleged conduct into New York, California, and Nevada.
A search of Valerio’s New Jersey residence uncovered additional evidence of his involvement, including $12,000 in cash, which prosecutors cite as part of the physical proof of his role in the conspiracy. The government’s filings say the money, bank records, and the sequence of rides and pickups all supported the conclusion that Valerio was more than a courier and that he took steps to launder the fraud proceeds. Those findings form the factual basis for the guilty plea and for the sentencing recommendation the government will present to the court.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 8, 2026, and the statute on which Valerio pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. That framework ensures the court weighs the financial harm to victims, the defendant’s role in the conspiracy, and any criminal past when deciding how long the defendant will be confined.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the probe in cooperation with a range of federal and state partners, including the New York City Police Department. The multiagency effort mapped calls, transactions, rides, and handoffs across state lines to build the conspiracy case that produced the guilty plea. From a law-and-order perspective, officials emphasize that cross-jurisdictional cooperation was essential to disrupting a transnational fraud network that targeted vulnerable Americans.
This prosecution also highlights broader concerns Republicans raise about border security and the flow of individuals who exploit weaknesses in immigration and enforcement systems, because the criminal enterprise was run in part from overseas while people here served as conduits for stolen cash. Holding those who launder and move illicit proceeds accountable is a key part of deterring future schemes, and the case will be watched for the sentence the court ultimately imposes. Victim protection and effective investigation remain the stated priorities as the matter moves toward sentencing in September.
