Four Dominican nationals have been extradited to the United States for their alleged roles in a major transnational “grandparent scam” operation that deceived hundreds of elderly victims into believing their grandchildren were in danger and needed money. Authorities say the fraud ring caused more than $5 million in losses, targeting more than 400 victims with an average age of 84, including at least 50 in Massachusetts.
Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, 33; Joel Jose Cruz Rodriguez (“Paflow”), 33; Edward Jose Puello Garcia, 45; and Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon, 26, were arrested in the Dominican Republic in August 2025 and extradited to the United States on Sept. 30, 2025. They appeared in federal court in Boston on Oct. 1, 2025, where they were ordered detained pending trial.
A federal grand jury indicted the group in May 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
According to charging documents, Castanos Garcia allegedly led a sophisticated call-center network in the Dominican Republic that ran classic “grandparent scams.” Callers posed as distressed grandchildren involved in a car crash or legal trouble. An “Opener” would initiate contact pretending to be the grandchild, followed by a “Closer” impersonating an attorney who demanded large sums of cash to cover supposed legal fees.
Prosecutors say Castanos Garcia ran multiple call centers with help from managers Cruz Rodriguez and Puello Garcia, who supervised English-speaking employees executing the scheme.
Victims were instructed to hand over cash to “runners” in the United States, including defendant Mathilda Leon. Callers often recruited unsuspecting rideshare drivers to pick up packages from victims’ homes, believing they were routine deliveries. In other instances, victims were directed to mail envelopes of cash to designated addresses.
Investigators say callers frequently phoned victims multiple times, inventing dramatic scenarios—such as a “mix-up” in the case or a claim that a “pregnant woman’s baby was lost in the crash”—to pressure them for additional payments. Some victims were even instructed to have rideshare drivers take them to the bank to withdraw more money.
The collected cash was allegedly funneled through a network of money launderers in the United States and the Dominican Republic, who moved the proceeds through accounts and delivered payments to co-conspirators in New York and elsewhere before the funds ultimately reached Castanos Garcia and his associates abroad.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison for the mail and wire fraud conspiracy, and an additional 20 years for the money laundering conspiracy.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, FBI Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks, and Acting U.S. Marshal Kevin Neal. Authorities in the Dominican Republic, including the National Police and multiple investigative units, worked closely with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs to carry out the arrests and extraditions.
As always, prosecutors emphasize that the charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
