DOJ Indicts 5 CJNG Bosses in $400 Million Timeshare Fraud Targeting 6,000 Americans
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 5
DOJ Indicts 5 CJNG Bosses in $400 Million Timeshare Fraud Targeting 6,000 Americans
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 5
Summary
Five senior CJNG members were charged in a U.S. case tying drug trafficking and firearms offenses to a timeshare scam that prosecutors said stole $400 million from more than 6,000 Americans, many of them elderly.
Between 2019 and 2023, the cartel allegedly used call centers, fake real-estate and legal services, spoofed government identities and extortion threats to keep victims paying fees that never produced sales, refunds or recoveries.
One 83-year-old American who bought a Mexican timeshare for $179,000 was repeatedly re-targeted over eight years and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Justice Department.
The FBI said it has seized funds for victim restitution and carried out more than 30 foreign custody transfers in 15 countries in July, while officials warned fugitives they would be pursued worldwide.
The indictments were part of a broader interagency offensive against CJNG that officials said includes more than 100 federal indictments and over $100 million in rewards for cartel leaders.