Ian Freeman outside the US District Court in Concord the day before he was convicted of money laundering charges. (Photo by Rick Green)
New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Jane Young said the Dec. 22 conviction of Keene resident Ian Freeman for his involvement in a money laundering scam is a blow to the growing problem.
“The culture of fraud via the Internet has become a pervasive problem throughout society,” Young said in a statement. “By hiding their tracks, such as tracking money, these scammers get away with crimes that often prey on some of the most vulnerable citizens.”
Prosecutors said Freeman laundered the proceeds of fraudulent Internet transactions by exchanging US dollars for bitcoins.
“Money launderers like Ian Freeman help hide money for these scammers,” Young said.
A jury found Freeman guilty of all criminal charges he faced, including conspiracy charges related to operating an unauthorized money transfer business, money laundering and tax evasion, and money laundering and unauthorized money transfer allegations. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 14.
“Today’s swift ruling sends a strong message that this type of money laundering will not be tolerated,” Young said. “Deterring fraudsters by interfering with their methods of hiding their tracks is an important goal of the federal government. This indictment is an important step toward achieving that goal.”
The trial included witnesses who said they had fallen victim to so-called “romance scams,” where someone on the Internet pretended to be interested in them and persuaded them to send money.
“As part of this criminal conspiracy, Mr. Freeman used the emotions and bank accounts of unwitting victims to keep his pockets in order,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta said in writing. .
Freeman testified that he never knowingly assisted scammers, and when in doubt tried to protect people from fraud.
“Romance scammers often use fake personas to troll online dating and social media websites,” the state attorney general’s office said in a February news release.
“These scammers often target single people, including recently divorced people and widows,” the office said. “They try to impress victims by claiming they share common interests and situations. I will get this information from his resource.”
The AG office said people running romance scams typically:
- Providing too much personal information too quickly.
- Rush to lure victims through dating sites or social media and contact them through other means such as text messages or emails.
- Incorrect spelling and grammar.
- Let’s use the reason why we can’t meet in person as an excuse.
- Say you live or travel outside the United States
- Claiming to be stranded abroad and needing money to get home.
- Ask for gift cards, cell phones, or cryptocurrencies.
- He claims he needs money to access millions of dollars.
One man who testified at Freeman’s trial said he lost thousands of dollars. He believed that someone had persuaded him to move his money by saying that his Social Security account had been compromised.
This is another frequent internet scam, the AG office said.
“They ask to verify the victim’s social security number, or say they need to withdraw money from the victim’s bank and ‘store’ it on a gift card or in some other unusual way.” maybe. Victims may be told their account will be seized or frozen if they do not act promptly. ”
Another common scam involves people claiming to be technicians who fix their own computers and demand payment for services they don’t need.
There is also the “grandparent scam” where the scammer contacts the elderly and pretends to be a family member or someone calling on behalf of the family. The recipient of the call is informed that their family is in danger and they urgently need money.
On December 9th, Elvis Guzman, 45, of Albany, New York, was sentenced to at least five years in NH State Penitentiary for committing a 2020 “grandparent” fraud.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report 2021, a record 847,376 cybercrime complaints were filed with the FBI by the public, up 7% from 2020.
The U.S. Department of Justice maintains a National Elder Fraud Hotline for those over 60 to report suspected fraud: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
The NH Senior and Adult Services Department also maintains a hotline at 1-800-949-0470 for those who know that vulnerable adults have been scammed or financially exploited. I’m here.
Fraud can also be reported on the Federal Trade Commission’s website at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The NH Attorney General’s Office also offers a toll-free consumer protection hotline at 1-888-468-4454.
This article was shared by a partner of the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, see: Collaborationnh.org.
