Financial Crime World

Dominican Republic: Eleven Suspected Financial Fraudsters Indicted in St. Louis

St. Louis, MO - Fighting Online Pharmacy Fraud with Links to the Dominican Republic

The United States Attorney’s Office in St. Louis has indicted eleven suspects for their alleged involvement in a wire fraud scheme with ties to the Dominican Republic. The defendants, all citizens of the Dominican Republic, are accused of defrauding victims through Internet pharmacies.

DEA and FDA Joint Statement

  • Harry S. Sommers, DEA Special Agent in Charge of the St. Louis Division, stated, “With these indictments, our commitments as law enforcement agencies remain unwavering in combating and dismantling deceitful online pharmacies."
  • Kathleen Martin-Weis, FDA’s Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Criminal Investigations, observed, “Consumers purchasing drugs online from suspicious Internet pharmacies not only risk their health but also fall subject to extortion and compromise their personal financial details.”

Alleged Scheme Details

Members of the criminal organization sold drugs to consumers, then impersonated U.S. government agents threatening victims with investigations and demanded payments via wire transfer to individuals in the Dominican Republic:

  1. Defrauded consumers through Internet pharmacies
  2. Posed as U.S. government agents
  3. Threatened victims with investigations
  4. Demanded payments via wire transfer to the Dominican Republic

Targeted Victims

The defendants targeted victims across the United States:

  1. Many had previously bought medication online or via telephone without a proper prescription
  2. Over 1,000 complaints documented from victims

Extortion and Payment Details

Payments ranged from $2,500 to $25,000, sometimes with victims being contacted for additional payments. In this case:

  1. Payments made in increments between $200 and $6,800
  2. A victim paid over $85,000

Indictment Charges

If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 for each count of wire fraud, as well as a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 for conspiracy.

Indicted Suspects

  • Edison Joseph, aka “Edison Joseph Rodriguez”
  • Francisco Santana, aka “Francisco Ilianovis Santana Vizcaino”
  • Miguel Bonilla, aka “Miguel Bonilla Caminero”
  • Santiago Guzman, aka “Santiago Guzman Gonzalez”
  • Victor Ventura, aka “Victor Hugo Ventura Perdomo”
  • Marcos Rodriguez, aka “Marcos Rodriguez Adon”
  • Samuel Bello, aka “Samuel Bello De Los Santos”
  • Alberto Rojas
  • Eduardo Benito Nunez
  • Claudio Ramirez, aka “Claudio Ramirez Ramirez”
  • Elinson Reyes, aka “Elinson Bienvenido Reyes Almonte”

Presumption of Innocence

Although the charges outlined in the indictment are allegations and do not prove guilt, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.