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Santo Domingo.- The Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of Santiago imposed this Friday one year of preventive detention against the ringleaders of the alleged criminal structure that was dedicated to extorting, blackmailing, and defrauding residents in the United States, which was dismantled during Operation XL526.
n” “nThe case was declared as complex processing and pretrial detention was imposed on the defendants Carlos José Parra Lantigua, Eliardo Peña Almonte, Renso Darío González Almonte, Walinton Ariel Sosa Almonte, and Moisés David Pichardo Aracena, who are identified as the leaders of the criminal group, the Public Ministry reported in a statement.
n” “nWhile the defendants Pedro Antonio Pichardo, Yusmery Altagracia Cabrera, and Danny Rafael Lantigua, as well as Joselín Pichardo Cabrera and Julio Antonio Peralta del Rosario, were imposed an economic guarantee of 800,000 pesos through an insurance company, periodic reporting, and a travel ban.
n” “nYou can also read: Cyber Police arrests two people for electronic fraud and illicit transfers
The litigation team that represented the Public Ministry was represented by Court Attorney General Quirsa Abreu, head of the Santiago Prosecutor’s Office, as well as by Joanna García, from the General Directorate of Prosecution, in charge of the Technical Directorate of the Santiago Prosecutor’s Office, and Elvin Ventura and Lía Collado, in charge of Complex Cases and Cybercrimes in that jurisdiction.
n” “nAfter evaluating the evidence provided by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the judge of the Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of Santiago, Yiberty Polanco, imposed coercive measures on the defendants.
n” “nThe General Directorate of Prosecution and the Santiago Prosecutor’s Office brought the defendants to justice and requested that the case be declared complex due to the plurality of defendants and victims, as well as because it involves an organized crime network also dedicated to money laundering, which requires sufficient time to deepen the investigation, in accordance with the provisions of the Dominican Criminal Procedure Code.
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Operation XL526, executed against the criminal structure, was led by a group of 35 prosecutors who carried out 28 raids in Santiago and Puerto Plata. Several people were also arrested for investigation purposes.
n” “nThe actions were carried out with the collaboration of the Organized Crime Investigation Area Directorate, and the Special Department for Transnational Crime Investigation (Deidet) of the National Police, HSI Santo Domingo; the Central Prevention Directorate of the National Police, and the Organized Crime Task Force (FTCO).
The members of the alleged network that was attacked were engaged, in a systematic and organized manner, in the commission of fraud, blackmail, and the illicit acquisition of funds from the Dominican Republic. So far, at least 18 victims have been identified.
n” “nThrough its fraudulent actions, the criminal organization collected funds to proceed with the transfer, concealment, and laundering of capital, with the aim of giving them an appearance of legality in their maneuvers to hide them from the authorities.
n” “nVarious testimonial, expert, and documentary evidence link the accused to the commission of high-tech crimes and offenses, criminal association, fraud, extortion, blackmail, illicit acquisition of funds, illicit enrichment, money laundering, distribution of controlled substances, and the use of firearms.
n” “nThe international organized crime organization had its operational base in the Jacagua municipality, Santiago province.
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The members of the network relied on their command of the English language to carry out their illicit actions and, furthermore, used technological tools for the execution of their illicit activities.
n” “nTheir modus operandi consisted of recruiting victims through advertisements, subsequently subjecting them to extortion and blackmail, in accordance with a script previously structured by the organization’s ringleaders.
n” “nThe defendants, using technological means, posed as alleged members of criminal organizations, such as: the so-called “Sinaloa Cartel,” with the purpose of scaring and intimidating the victims from whom they demanded money and to whom they sent images of horrendous crimes as a form of threat.
n” “nThe funds thus obtained were subsequently channeled through various mobilization mechanisms, including the use of cryptocurrencies -such as Bitcoin-, electronic transfers, mirror transfers, and deposits through remittance companies and payment platforms.
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