MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

The FBI is warning of a scam in which people are presented with a fraudulent federal warrant and asked to pay fines to clear it up.

In a recent case in Wyoming, the targeted victim received a copy of a warrant via text message, saying there was a warrant for her arrest because she failed to appear as a prospective juror.

The warrant on the face appears to be a legitimate document, with a case number, date stamp, seal of the United States District Court for Wyoming and a judge’s signature. But this is a scam.

A federal officer will serve a federal warrant in person, or you might receive it by certified mail. You will NEVER receive a copy of a federal warrant via regular U.S. mail, and especially not via email or via text.

One victim in Wyoming followed instructions received via the scam text and lost more than $10,000.

The FBI reminds the public to be vigilant and never share personal identifying information with a caller with whom you have not initiated contact or have not verified as legitimate. To check out someone who purports to be from the FBI, find the phone number of the local FBI field office and call that number directly. The field office will verify any legitimate contact.

You can do the same with other federal law enforcement agencies.

If you have questions about the validity of an arrest warrant, call the clerk of court for the court identified on the warrant. They can verify if the warrant is legitimate.

Also know that no government agency at any level will ask you to pay in gift cards, gold, or cryptocurrency.

If you think you have been a victim of this scam, report it at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

Source: US FBI

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, Jose Daniel Pineda-Moreno, Jeffrerson Balza-Delfin, and Yender Enrique Campos-Malave were each indicted by a federal grand jury on one count for unlawfully seizing, confining, kidnapping, abducting and holding for ransom an unidentified victim.

Balza-Delfin and Campos-Malave made their initial appearance in front of Magistrate Judge Cyrus Y. Chung today.  Veliz-Gonzalez and Pineda-Moreno are scheduled to appear at a later date.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver Field Office and the Denver Police Department are handling the investigation.  The prosecution is being handled by the Violent Crimes and Immigration Enforcement section of the United States Attorney’s Office.

Case Number: 25-cr-00077-JLK

Source: US FBI

Quinlin James Hernandez, 32, of Crowheart, Wyoming, was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment with five years of supervised release for sexual abuse. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on March 5 in Casper.

According to court documents, on April 13, 2024, a 14-year-old minor victim who had been reported missing was located at the residence of Hernandez. She was able to send a text to her grandmother to come pick her up at that location. During her forensic interview, she stated that Hernandez and several minors picked her up April 10, 2023, without the knowledge of her guardians. Hernandez drove to a liquor store, where he bought alcohol and then drove the minors to his residence in Crowheart. At the residence, all the minors and the defendant drank the alcohol. Hernandez began flirting with and making sexual advances toward the minor victim. The minor victim was at Hernandez’s residence for approximately two and a half days, during which Hernandez forced himself on the minor victim, sexually abusing her twice. The victim underwent a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination and Hernandez’s seminal fluid and DNA were confirmed to be on the victim’s clothing.  He was indicted on May 16, 2024.

When interviewed, Hernandez denied sexually abusing the minor victim. However, when he entered his plea of guilty on December 13, 2024, he admitted that he had sex with the minor victim when she was too drunk to either consent or decline to have sex with him.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Wind River Police Department and the FBI investigated this crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry Jacobson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought about by Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet and to identify and rescue victims.

Case No. 24-CR-00087

Source: US FBI

La Oficina del FBI en Denver ha emitido una advertencia alertando sobre un aumento en las estafas relacionadas con herramientas en línea gratuitas para convertir documentos. Se insta a las víctimas a reportar cualquier caso relacionado con dichas estafas.

En este tipo de esquemas, los delincuentes aprovechan las herramientas gratuitas de conversión de documentos en línea para cargar malware o ransomware en las computadoras de las víctimas.

“Como parte de nuestros esfuerzos continuos para combatir el fraude, creemos que la forma más efectiva de detener a estos delincuentes es mediante la educación”, señaló Mark Michalek, agente especial a cargo de la Oficina del FBI en Denver. “Al promover la concienciación, podemos evitar que las personas caigan en estas trampas. Si usted o alguien que usted conoce ha sido afectado, le recomendamos que lo reporte de inmediato y tome las medidas necesarias para proteger sus activos. Todos los días trabajamos para responsabilizar a los estafadores y proporcionar a las víctimas el apoyo y los recursos necesarios.”

Para llevar a cabo este esquema, los ciberdelincuentes de todo el mundo están aprovechando diversas herramientas gratuitas de conversión o descarga de documentos. Estas incluyen sitios web que prometen convertir archivos de un formato a otro, como transformar un archivo .doc en .pdf, o servicios que permiten combinar archivos, como unir varios .jpg en un solo .pdf. Además, los programas sospechosos pueden presentarse como herramientas para descargar archivos MP3 o MP4.

Estos conversores y herramientas de descarga cumplen con lo que prometen, pero el archivo resultante contiene malware oculto que permite a los delincuentes acceder a la computadora de la víctima. Además, estas herramientas pueden recopilar los archivos enviados para extraer:

• Información personal identificable, como números de seguro social, fechas de nacimiento, números de teléfono, entre otros.
• Información bancaria.
• Datos relacionados con criptomonedas (frases semilla, direcciones de billeteras, etc.).
• Direcciones de correo electrónico.
• Contraseñas.

Desafortunadamente, muchas víctimas no se dan cuenta de que sus computadoras han sido infectadas con malware hasta que ya es demasiado tarde y su dispositivo ha sido comprometido con ransomware o su identidad ha sido robada.

La Oficina del FBI en Denver exhorta a las víctimas, o a aquellos que hayan sido blanco de intentos de estafa, a denunciarlo en el Centro de Quejas de Crímenes en Internet del FBI en www.ic3.gov.

Asimismo, recomienda seguir las siguientes precauciones para evitar caer en esta estafa:

• Respire profundamente, tómese su tiempo y piense. Sea consciente de sus acciones en línea y los riesgos a los que podría estar expuesto.

• Mantenga su software antivirus actualizado y escanee cualquier archivo que reciba antes de abrirlo para evitar la instalación de software malicioso en su computadora.
•  

Si es víctima de esta estafa, siga estos pasos:

• Póngase en contacto con sus instituciones financieras de inmediato. Tome medidas para proteger su identidad y sus cuentas.
• Cambie todas sus contraseñas utilizando un dispositivo limpio y confiable.
• Reporte el incidente en IC3.

Ejecute un escaneo con software antivirus actualizado para verificar si hay algún software malicioso instalado por los estafadores. Considere la posibilidad de llevar su computadora a un profesional para que la limpie.

Source: US FBI

OAKLAND – A Brentwood man has been charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun conversion device.  Noah Kanaye Bauer, 21, was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance in federal district court in Oakland this morning.

According to the criminal complaint and court documents unsealed today, on Sept. 6, 2024, officers with the Brentwood Police Department (BPD) responded to a call regarding an individual with a firearm at a grocery store in Brentwood and found Bauer with a 3D printed Glock style firearm.  Officers allegedly removed the firearm from the front of Bauer’s waistband and saw that there was no serial number on it.  In a search of Bauer’s home after his arrest for carrying a concealed weapon, BPD officers found a 3D printing machine, three 3D printed pistol frames, and a 3D printed machine gun conversion device in Bauer’s room.

The complaint describes that machine gun conversion devices, also known as “switches” or “auto sears,” are designed and created for the purpose of converting a semi-automatic Glock type pistol into a fully automatic machine gun.  When BPD officers questioned Bauer on what the conversion devices were used for, Bauer allegedly stated, “to make it shoot faster.”

Bauer is next scheduled to appear in court on March 17, 2025, for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore.

Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.

Bauer is charged with one count of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o).  A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

The National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI with assistance from the BPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Noah Kanaye Bauer Complaint
 

Source: US FBI

SAN JOSE – Danhong “Jean” Chen, also known as Maria Sofia Taylor, was extradited from the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen in federal district court in San Jose this afternoon. This is the first extradition from the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States on federal criminal charges.

Chen, 60, who previously resided in Atherton, Calif., and her business partner and ex-spouse, Jianyun “Tony” Ye, were indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2019. The 14-count indictment alleges the defendants committed visa fraud and related crimes to obtain immigration benefits for more than 100 foreign investors through the government’s employment-based immigration fifth preference, or “EB-5,” visa program. In 2021, Ye pleaded guilty to visa fraud and obstruction and was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison. He has since served that sentence and been released from custody.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil complaint in October 2018 against Chen and others alleging that Chen improperly solicited investments and committed other violations of law. According to court documents, immediately after the SEC filed its civil enforcement complaint, Chen left the United States and was at large until she was arrested in the Kyrgyz Republic at the request of the United States.

Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani, and SEC Office of the Inspector General (SEC OIG) Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Chen was the sole partner at the Law Offices of Jean D. Chen in San Jose, which held itself out as specializing in immigration law. Chen prepared and submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fraudulent documents that contained false signatures and falsely described how applicants would qualify for the EB-5 program.

Under the EB-5 program, foreign nationals could obtain permanent United States residency, commonly known as “green card” status, by investing in qualifying businesses in the United States. Alien investors who comply with program requirements initially receive a grant of conditional permanent residency status for a two-year period. After two years, the alien investor can petition for permanent residency. To obtain permanent residency status, the applicant’s investment must amount to $500,000 if made in certain geographical areas with low employment rates; if the investment is not in a designated low-employment area, the investment must amount to a minimum of $1,000,000. In addition, under the EB-5 program, individuals seeking investments for businesses may establish “regional centers” to promote investment opportunities to EB-5 applicants within designated geographic areas. The Law Offices of Jean D. Chen, operated by Chen, represented clients who invested a total of approximately $52,000,000 into projects under the EB-5 program.

The indictment alleges Chen fraudulently obtained immigration benefits through the EB-5 program on behalf of her clients by, among other actions, falsifying documents to hide the true ownership and nature of a regional center. Specifically, in 2014, Chen purchased the Golden State Regional Center and other entities and, almost immediately after the purchase, transferred ownership to a straw owner without that individual’s knowledge. Chen filed papers with USCIS requesting that the government continue to recognize Golden State Regional Center as a regional center qualified to promote EB-5 investment within the South Bay.

The indictment also charges Chen with obstruction of justice related to investigations being conducted by the SEC and the FBI, including by demanding that an individual provide false answers to SEC investigators and directing an individual to delete emails relevant to the SEC’s and FBI’s investigations into the visa fraud.

Chen is charged with 10 counts of visa fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a), one count of obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1505, one count of obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3), and one count of aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Chen faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of $250,000 on each count of visa fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a); five years and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the count of obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1505; 20 years and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the count of obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3); and a minimum sentence of two years to run consecutively to other felony convictions and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the count of aggravated identity theft under 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. Any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Farnham is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the SEC OIG. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in the Kyrgyz Republic to secure the arrest and extradition of Chen to the United States, and the U.S. Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation and assistance provided by the Kyrgyz Republic’s General Prosecutor’s Office.

Source: US FBI

OAKLAND – A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Lester Dale Lee, 69, of Oakland, with mailing threatening communications to Dayton Elementary School in San Leandro.  Lee made his initial appearance in federal district court this morning.  

According to the criminal complaint and court documents, Lee allegedly mailed threatening letters to Dayton Elementary School on three occasions in May 2023.  All three letters were sent in similar envelopes bearing the same typewritten address label.  On May 3, 2023, the school received a letter addressed to one of its teachers.  In the letter, Lee, posing as the parent of a student in the teacher’s classroom, allegedly used a racial slur to describe some students and threatened to shoot the students and teacher if the school did not remove the African American students from the class.  On May 18, 2023, the school received a second mailing that was addressed to the principal and contained an unidentified white powder.  On May 19, 2023, the school received a third letter that addressed to the same teacher as the May 3 mailing.  Lee again allegedly posed as the parent of a student in the class, used a racial slur to refer to students in the class, and threatened to shoot the African American students and the teachers if they were not removed from the school because he wanted “them all dead.”  

Lee had worked through a staffing agency as a substitute teacher at numerous school sites within the San Lorenzo Unified School District during the 2022 to 2023 school year, including at Dayton Elementary School.  According to the complaint, Lee was terminated from his substitute teaching position in April 2023, following reports of conflicts between Lee and students at the elementary school.  

Lee is next scheduled to appear in federal court on March 28, 2025 for a status hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore.      

Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin made the announcement.

A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $100 fine for each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 876(c) and 18 U.S.C. § 1038(a)(1)(A).  Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Mateer is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Amala James.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the San Leandro Police Department.

Lester Dale Lee Complaint
 

Source: US FBI

SAN FRANCISCO – Esbin Ramirez-Garcia, 28, of Rohnert Park, pleaded guilty today to aggravated sexual abuse of a victim while in the Marin Headlands.

Defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 22, 2024, on one count of aggravated sexual abuse in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2241(a).  In pleading guilty, Ramirez-Garcia admitted that late in the evening on Aug. 2, 2024, while giving the victim, with whom he had a prior relationship, a ride from her workplace in his truck, he asked her to get back together with him.  Ramirez-Garcia and the victim got into an argument and she refused to resume their relationship.  Defendant deviated from the route to the victim’s home.  The victim asked to be let out of the vehicle, but Ramirez-Garcia grabbed her with his hand and continued driving, forcing her to accompany him.

According to the plea agreement, Ramirez-Garcia then drove his truck to a parking lot in the Marin Headlands, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and parked just after midnight.  Ramirez-Garcia admitted that he forcibly placed his body on top of the victim’s body while she sat in the passenger seat and sexually assaulted her.

Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin, and National Park Service Investigative Services Branch Acting Special Agent in Charge Betsy Smith made the announcement.

Defendant has been in custody since August 2024.  Ramirez-Garcia’s sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2025, before Senior U.S. District Judge William Alsup.  Defendant faces a statutory maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Chen and Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Wistar Wilson are prosecuting this case with the assistance of Sara Slattery, Maureen French, and Fernanda Gonzalez.  This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
 

Source: US FBI

SAN DIEGO – Osemah Elhassen of Sydney, Australia, was sentenced in federal court today to 63 months in prison for participating in a worldwide conspiracy to distribute hardened encrypted communication devices to criminal syndicates to facilitate drug trafficking and other crimes.

Elhassen was one of 17 defendants indicted in San Diego in 2021 in connection with Operation Trojan Shield, an international law enforcement effort in which the FBI secretly operated an encrypted messaging network used by criminals, leading to the arrests of hundreds worldwide.

According to court records, the platform was known as ANOM. While ANOM’s criminal users unknowingly communicated on the system operated by the FBI, agents catalogued more than 27 million messages between users around the world whose criminal discussions were covertly obtained and reviewed by the FBI. The platform was taken down in June 2021. Please see Operation Trojan Shield in 2021.

Elhassen pleaded guilty in May 2024 to Count 1 of a superseding indictment charging him and the others with a racketeering conspiracy in connection with the ANOM enterprise. A citizen of Australia, Elhassen was a Colombia-based distributor of ANOM devices who was also directly involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.

Elhassen admitted that around November 2019, he became a member of the ANOM enterprise. According to his plea agreement, he admitted to helping accomplish the illegal objectives of that enterprise, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and obstruction of justice offenses. To that end, Elhassen distributed ANOM devices to criminal end-users for over a year and a half, and in doing so, facilitated the importation, exportation, and distribution of at least 15 kilograms of cocaine and the laundering of proceeds from the enterprise’s illegal activities.

According to the government’s sentencing filings, Elhassen’s ANOM messages show significant distribution of ANOM devices in Colombia and other places. His messages also show that Elhassen participated in providing ANOM device support and arranging subscription renewals, among other sales and price-setting activity.

Elhassen was arrested in Colombia in June 2021 and was extradited to the Southern District of California in May 2023. He pleaded guilty in May 2024.

“Despite use of sophisticated technology and extreme measures to conceal the criminal enterprise, Mr. Elhassen could not thwart federal investigators,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “The sentence today demonstrates that even those who go to the greatest lengths to hide will be held to account.”

“Evidence collected during Operation Trojan Shield showed that distributors of ANOM devices, like Mr. Elhassen, were not merely providing a messaging service but enabling and facilitating Transnational Criminal Organizations,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “Today’s sentence should send a strong message to the users and distributors of these types of devices. The FBI will continue to collaborate with domestic and international partners on new and innovative strategies to combat the ever-evolving threat posed by transnational criminal organizations.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua C. Mellor, Mikaela L. Weber, and Peter S. Horn. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogota provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Elhassen. The United States also thanks Colombian law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance.

Three other defendants in this case have pleaded guilty, including Dragan Nikitovic, aka Dr. Djek; Edwin Harmendra Kumar, aka Edwin Harmendra Valentine; and Miwand Zakhimi, aka Maiwand Zakhimi. They are scheduled to be sentenced in December 2024 and January 2025. A trial for four other defendants is scheduled for March 10, 2025. Eight other defendants in the case are yet to be extradited to the United States, and one is a fugitive.

For further information on investigations and prosecutions of encrypted communication providers, see https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/fbi-s-encrypted-phone-platform-infiltrated-hundreds-criminal-syndicates-result-massive (ANOM), https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/sky-global-executive-and-associate-indicted-providing-encrypted-communication-devices (Sky Global), and https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/chief-executive-communications-company-sentenced-prison-providing-encryption-services (Phantom Secure).

Operation Trojan Shield is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 21cr1623-JLS-17                                   

Osemah Elhassen                                            Age: 51                                   Sydney, Australia

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Count 1:  Racketeering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1962(d)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison, and fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Drug Enforcement Administration

United States Marshals Service

Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs

Australian Federal Police

Swedish Police Authority

Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau

National Police of the Netherlands

EUROPOL                                                          

Source: US FBI

SAN DIEGO – Adriana Camberos (formerly Adriana Shayota) and Andres Camberos, sister and brother, were convicted by a federal jury of multiple fraud charges on October 25, 2024.

Their illegal scheme involved lying to manufacturers to sell wholesale groceries and other goods at steep discounts by promising the goods would be sold in Mexico, or to prisons or rehabilitation facilities. Instead, the defendants sold the products at higher prices to U.S. distributors, for the U.S. market. Wire fraud charges arose from the numerous wire transfers, as well as other interstate communications, the defendants made as they bought products from the manufacturers, transferred money among their own companies to facilitate the scheme, and then re-sold the products at higher prices to U.S. customers.

Following an 11-day trial, the jury found the defendants guilty of eight of 11 counts that went to the jury. Adriana and Andres Camberos were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and seven wire fraud counts, and not guilty of three mail fraud counts.

According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants owned and controlled three businesses: Tradeway International, Inc., doing business as Baja Exporting (owned by Adriana Camberos); Specialty Foods International, Inc., doing business as Promix Co., Prison Food Depot, Rehab Food Depot and Specialty Foods International (owned by Andres Camberos); and Baja Foodservice S.R.L. de C.V. (95% owned by Andres Camberos and managed by Adriana Camberos). Specialty Foods International and Baja Exporting shared a warehouse and office space in San Diego. Baja Foodservice had a warehouse in Tijuana. All three operated together, as sister companies.

Baja Exporting claimed to be an exporter of grocery items and consumer goods to Baja California, Mexico. Similarly, Specialty Foods International, claimed to be a regional distributor of groceries and other goods to retailers in Baja California, Mexico, and to correctional facilities and rehabilitation and wellness facilities within the United States. Baja Foodservice likewise claimed to be a regional distributor in Baja California, Mexico.

The defendants used the three companies—especially Baja Foodservice—to tell manufacturers that they would sell the manufacturers’ products in Mexico, and based on that, they received significant discounts for purported sales, distribution, and exporting to the Baja California market. The defendants also sought discounted goods for Specialty Foods International, d/b/a Prison Food Depot and Rehab Food Depot, based on the claim that they sold products to prisons and rehab facilities.

But the defendants lied. In a years-long scheme, they used their three companies to get those lower prices from manufacturers and resell the products at higher prices to U.S. customers—often the same distributors the victim companies were already selling their products to. Between 2019 and September 2023 alone, Baja Exporting and Specialty Foods International sold hundreds of millions of dollars of products to U.S. distributors; less than a tenth of one percent of their sales were to any Mexican retailer or distributor, and they did no business with prisons or rehab centers.

The defendants took other numerous steps to conceal and perpetuate their fraud. For example, the defendants removed GPS tracking devices from manufacturers’ shipments; removed Spanish-language labels or packaging intended for the Mexican market; obtained Mexican customs documents to try to prove to manufacturers that products were being exported; arranged “market visits” in Tijuana, taking manufacturers’ representatives to various stores in Baja California where they placed the manufacturers’ products—often alongside models who were hired by the defendants’ companies and associates—to create the appearance the products were being sold as promised; had a fake “office” in Mexico City to meet with manufacturers, in an effort to make the companies think the defendants did substantial business in Mexico; and otherwise doubled down on their lies when the victim companies suspected the defendants were diverting their products  and defrauding them.

Baja Exporting and Specialty Foods International made over $58 million in gross profits between January 2019 and September 2023. As owners, the defendants made millions each. In the same time period, Adriana Camberos took in over $12 million from Baja Exporting, and Andres Camberos paid himself over $14 million from Specialty Foods International. This caused manufacturers to lose tens of millions of dollars—money they would have made in the normal course of selling to U.S. distributors, but for the defendants’ lies.

With the money they made from the scheme, Adriana and Andres Camberos made extensive luxury purchases and investments. They bought or financed a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, a Lamborghini Huracan, and multiple Range Rovers; purchased multiple homes in the San Diego area; purchased a condominium at the beach in Coronado; and put the money in multiple investment accounts, life insurance policies, a cryptocurrency account, and other assets. These and other items are subject to forfeiture.

“These defendants’ deception led to millions in illegal profits, but the gain was fleeting,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “When this elaborate scheme unraveled, justice prevailed.”

“The Camberos siblings built a multimillion-dollar empire solely on fraud,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “This conviction should send a clear message that fraud — no matter the scale — will be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty of perpetrating such schemes will be brought to justice.”

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor, Peter Horn and Jordan Arakawa.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23-CR-1916-BAS                            

Adriana Isabel Camberos (aka Adriana Shayota)      Age: 54                       San Diego, CA

Andres Enrique Camberos                                          Age: 45                       San Diego, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349

Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison

Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343

Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison

INVESTIGATING AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation