SCRANTON, PA — Josiah DeJesus, a 22-year-old resident of Bronx, New York, has been sentenced to a hefty 80 months in prison. The sentence was handed down on February 29, 2024, by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani, for DeJesus’s role in a disturbing ‘grandparents’ fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans nationwide.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, DeJesus served as the lead courier in this Dominican Republic-based operation from June to October 2020. Along with a group of men he recruited from the Bronx, DeJesus frequently traveled from New York City to various locations in Pennsylvania to collect UPS and FedEx packages filled with thousands of dollars in cash.
These packages were sent by unsuspecting elderly victims who were conned into believing their grandchildren had been arrested and charged with serious crimes, thus requiring immediate financial assistance. Overseas co-conspirators in the Dominican Republic made these false claims, posing either as the victims’ grandchildren or as attorneys representing them.
In addition to his imprisonment, DeJesus has been ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release and pay a whopping $366,303.28 in restitution to the victims of the scheme.
The successful conclusion of this case was the result of a thorough investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Philadelphia Division, along with its state and local law enforcement partners in Berks County, PA. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John led the prosecution, ensuring justice was served for the victims of this heartless scam.
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