The United States imposed sanctions on four companies and three Mexican accountants, allegedly linked to a fraud scheme with timeshares in Vallarta Portwho would be related, directly or indirectly, to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
This was reported in a statement by the United States Department of the Treasury and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), who detailed that this network operates from call centers with scammers, who They pretend to be real estate agents, lawyers or sales representatives to deceive American property owners seeking to rent or purchase vacation rentals in Mexico.
“Cartel scammers run sophisticated teams of professionals who appear perfectly normal on paper or over the phone, but in reality, they are money launderers trained by scam experts,” he said. the Undersecretary of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelsonin a note issued this Tuesday.
What is the real estate fraud orchestrated by the CJNG?
According to the authorities in the neighboring country, in some cases, even a double scamwhere victims are first defrauded of the sham purchase of timeshares in vacation areas of the country, especially in prime locations such as the Romantic Zone, and are then contacted by the same fraudsters but under the false identity of law firms.
“Victims often send payments to scammers through wire transfers from U.S. correspondent banks to Mexican shell companies with accounts at Mexican banks or brokerage firms,” the Treasury Department explained.
This, “before the ill-gotten funds are laundered further in Mexico, through shell companies and additional trusts controlled by cartel members, their relatives or money launderers, such as complicit accountants and other professionals,” he added.
The list of companies and accountants involved in the scam
U.S. authorities said the sanctioned Mexican accountants are: Griselda Margarita Arredondo Finch, Xeyda Del Refugio Foubert Cadena and Emiliano Sanchez Martinezall based in Puerto Vallarta.
The three are identified by OFAC as those who help the CJNG in its criminal activities, in addition to having family relationships with members of the cartel.
The Treasury Department noted that Arredondo is a stepsister by Julio Cesar Montero Pinzon, alias The cardsmember of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel and implicated in the attempted murder of the former Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SPPC) of Mexico City, Omar García Harfuch.
Meanwhile, the sanctioned companies are: Sandgris Construction Company, Pacific Axis Real Estate SA, Realty & Maintenance BJ SA and Bona Fide Consultants FS SAS.
Upon sanctioning, the United States is authorized to freeze all assets and property of those involved that are in the United States, as well as those that belong to them at least 50 percent.
Similarly, US citizens and companies are also prohibited from having transactions with them.
With information from Aldo Munguia.
