On November 6, North American authorities completely shut down a crime operation that had victimized countless people across Southern California. The North American authorities included Mexican officials, the FBI, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. While the bust was large and grand enough to be one of narcotics, it was actual a “grandparent scam.” Pascal Goyer was recently picked up by police in Los Angeles, after Mexican officials detained and sent him to the United States, and charges with wire fraud and others crimes related to fraud. There are also five other co-defendants. The six defendants would allegedly contact senior citizens in Southern California, from areas all over North America and even beyond, claiming that their grandchildren were in dire need of assistance due to legal or financial burdens. They would also claim to be a relative overseas in need of money to resolve an issue, or an attorney working in the best interest of the elderly person’s relative. The seniors would then wire money, that they thought was going to help their grandchildren, to the defendants. While the amounts of money varied from small to very large, the average was $2000-$3000. Crimes like these against seniors are largely under-reported, because the elderly are less likely to admit they have been taken advantage of and therefore have their decision making abilities questioned. The unfortunate thing is that these seniors of being robbed not only of their money, but also possible retirement. In 2011, in San Diego alone, prosecutors charged defendants accused of fraud with stealing more than $115 million.
This article, done by the Daily Transcript, was very informational and enjoyable to read. It had a substantial amount of facts regarding the legal matters, but it did not overwhelm the reader with legal terminology. The author did a great job presenting the material in a reader-friendly manner. However upon further analysis, the information was presented in a slightly biased way. There was never any actual evidence given, only facts from police officers and reporters. Overall, the article was concise, informational, and entertaining to read.
11/08/12 8:42 PM
http://www.sddt.com/Commentary/article.cfm?Commentary_ID=10&SourceCode=20121106tbd&_t=Man+accused+of+international+grandparent+scam+arrested#.UJvfvHHSGKs
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