Five sentenced to federal prison for ripping off elderly victims in sweepstakes scam

Five people - including four who lived in Buford - have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a sweepstakes scam that targeted elderly victims all over the country.

 

U.S. Attorney BJay Pak identified the suspects as Silvia Sanchez Valverde, Rodolfo Orozco Aguilar, Daniel Sibaja, Priscilla Sibaja and Elpelice Figueroa Rosales.

"These defendants targeted and bilked dozens of vulnerable elderly victims out of $3.5 million,” said Pak in a press statement released Friday afternoon. “Lottery and sweepstakes scams are one of the most common consumer frauds, with the majority of financial losses being suffered by the elderly."

Pak said the five defendents conducted their phone scame from February 2016 through September 2017. The defendents would contact the victims by phone, telling them that they had won a sweepstakes or lottery. Pak said they would tell the victim they could only receive their winnings after paying taxes and fees up front.

Pak said the victims were then directed to pay the expenses to various companies controlled by the defendants, such as J.G. Services, RF Financial Services, and Master Builders. The victims would then mail payments via personal and cashier’s checks to addresses that were linked to mailboxes rented by the defendants. The defendants deposited the checks, totaling over $3.5 million, into their bank accounts and then transferred the majority of the funds to Costa Rican bank accounts.

The defendents were sentenced as follows:

• Silvia Sanchez Valverde, 47, of Buford, Georgia was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Sanchez Valverde was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud on August 27, 2018, after she pleaded guilty.
• Rodolfo Orozco Aguilar, 44, of Costa Rica was sentenced to four years in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release.  Orozco Aguilar was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud on August 23, 2018, after he pleaded guilty.  He faces potential removal from the United States, as a result of his conviction.
• Daniel Sibaja, 28, of Buford, Georgia was sentenced to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Daniel Sibaja was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud on August 27, 2018, after he pleaded guilty. 
• Priscilla Sibaja, 21, of Buford, Georgia was sentenced to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Priscilla Sibaja was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering on August 30, 2018, after she pleaded guilty.  She faces potential removal from the United States, as a result of her conviction.
• Elpelice Figueroa Rosales, 62, of Buford, Georgia was sentenced to two years in prison, to be followed by three year of supervised release.  Figueroa Rosales was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud on August 24, 2018, after she pleaded guilty.  She faces potential removal from the United States, as a result of her conviction.