Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. This holistic and robust response demonstrates the Department’s unwavering dedication to fighting for justice for older Americans.Ī copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Together with our federal, state, local and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness. Elder abuse is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, affecting at least 10 percent of older Americans every year. It is a term used to describe five subtypes of elder abuse: physical abuse, financial fraud, scams and exploitation, caregiver neglect and abandonment, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse is an intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult. Walker and Kaitlin Cooke prosecuted the case.Ĭombatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Hilton.Īmazon provided law enforcement with substantial assistance during the investigation.Īssistant U.S. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Wayne A. The victims suffered losses totaling more than $1.6 million. Rather than closing the business entirely, Prasad continued to open businesses to allow the fraud scheme to proceed.įrom April 2016 through September 2021, more than 1,300 individuals were defrauded. Prasad continued operating these businesses and obtaining victims’ funds even after personally receiving several complaints and negative online reviews. He was also responsible for transferring a significant portion of the fraud proceeds to his co-conspirators in India. Prasad was the sole signatory on the bank accounts for the entities he created. During the life of the conspiracy, Prasad opened three businesses in the Commonwealth of Virginia, all of which received the fraudulently obtained proceeds of the scheme. Prasad, as the primary U.S.-based conspirator, was responsible for creating several businesses that purported to offer technical support to clients. ![]() Once the victims agreed to pay for services, they were frequently contacted again for additional services and charged additional fees. The victims were duped into signing contracts for technical support services that were never rendered. In other instances, the call center employees pretended to be associated with companies like Amazon and Microsoft and falsely led the victims to believe that there were issues with their online accounts. The defendant’s co-conspirators contacted the victims through unsolicited telephone calls and pop-up notifications on their computers claiming, in part, that the victims needed assistance to remove malware from their computers. ![]() ![]() ![]() – A McLean man was sentenced today to 3 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud more than 1,300 victims out of $1.6 million in connection with a call center scam.Īccording to court documents, Bruhaspaty Prasad, 33, conspired with several other individuals primarily based in India at a call center to carry out a tech support scheme that primarily affected elderly victims.
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