A federal court jury on Friday convicted two Nevada men on charges of ripping off old people in Pittsburgh in the “grandparents scam” by posing as court officials to get imprisoned grandchildren out of jail.
After a five-day trial, the jury quickly found Roderick Feurtado, 56, and Tarek Bouanane, 47, guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Another criminal cohort, Roberto Gutierrez of California, had pleaded guilty before the trial.
The trio was indicted in 2021 after an investigation by Pennsylvania state troopers and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Prosecutors have brought several similar cases in Pittsburgh in recent years. Typically one scammer poses as a lawyer or court officer in telling a grandparent that a grandchild is in jail and can get out if the target pays bail money. Then other members of the criminal group pose as bondsmen and go pick up the cash. Occasionally one of the fraudsters will even pose as the grandchild to make the crisis seem more real to the unsuspecting marks.
In this case, prosecutors presented evidence that the three crooks traveled to Pittsburgh in September 2021, contacted numerous victims and told them to withdraw cash and give it to a “courier” who would come to their home.
Bouanane and Guiterrez played the courier role. Feurtado was the “safehouse” who gave the others directions and collected the money from the others. The three kept some of the money for themselves and planned to pass along the rest to other criminals working with them. In some cases, they planned to convert it into cryptocurrency.
State troopers seized about $220,000 from the hotel room where Feurtado was holed up, and prosecutors said he and the other two stole at least $250,000 in total.
U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan said the jury’s quick verdict provides a “measure of justice” for the victims and “should serve as a reminder” that law enforcement will nab perpetrators who prey on the vulnerable.
William Walker, head of HSI in Philadelphia, which covers Pittsburgh, said Feurtado and Bouanane “represent the worst that society has to offer” because they prey on older people who are trying to help their loved ones.
Torsten covers the courts for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Reach him at jtorsteno@gmail.com.
