Adrian Alberto Monjaras was arrested on February 10 after he attempted to collect $45,000 from an elderly woman, 86-year-old Mary Cisneros, in Waco, Texas. The arrest followed a family member’s report to police, suspecting Monjaras of being involved in a financial scam targeting Cisneros.
Officers arrived at the scene and found Monjaras in a gray sedan, preparing to leave. He claimed he was there to pick up a package containing $45,000 in cash. After speaking with Cisneros, officers learned that she had been manipulated over several years by scammers posing as officials from the U.S. Department of Treasury. They convinced her that her identity had been stolen and promised to help her obtain a new one in exchange for large sums of money.
The scammers persuaded Cisneros to max out her credit cards, withdraw $35,000 from her Roth IRA, and even apply for a $100,000 home equity loan to protect her assets. However, before she could hand over the remaining $50,000, a family member intervened and called the police.
Monjaras admitted to knowing the package contained money and claimed to work for a company called “Drone Masters,” facilitating financial transactions for Ukraine. He stated that he had previously received similar cash payments from an individual named “John.”
The investigation is ongoing, and Waco PD is warning residents to be cautious of scams targeting elderly individuals. Anyone with information related to similar incidents is urged to contact law enforcement.
