A San Diego man has pleaded guilty to federal charges for helping launder millions of dollars from an international scam operation that targeted elderly victims across the United States.
Prosecutors said the scheme has defrauded more than 500 victims of over $40 million since at least mid-2021. The fraud operation was run overseas from countries including India, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, while money laundering activities were carried out in the United States.
The scam relied heavily on tech support fraud, in which victims were prompted by fake computer pop-ups or technical warnings to contact what they believed was legitimate customer support. Once engaged, scammers convinced victims to pay for unnecessary products or services to fix nonexistent problems.
In other cases, victims were falsely told they had received an accidental overpayment and were instructed to return a portion of the funds — money that ultimately went to the scammers.
Federal prosecutors said Victor Lee Marion played a key role in moving stolen funds overseas, transferring millions of dollars to co-conspirators. Authorities also allege Marion used his San Diego business, Mecca Barbershop, as a recruiting center to bring additional money launderers into the scheme.
The FBI described Marion as the leader of the San Diego money laundering cell. Investigators said he also assisted co-conspirators in relocating abroad, where they were trained to carry out scams and continue defrauding victims.
Twenty-two defendants have been charged in the case, most of whom were arrested in November. Four defendants have pleaded guilty so far, including Marion, who admitted to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.
