Who is Victor Valdez?
Victor Anthony Valdez, 40, of the Bronx, New York City, New York, United States served as a courier for a scam that targeted elderly people in the U.S. The scam operated from call centers in the Dominican Republic.
Between August 2020 and August 2021, Valdez allegedly retrieved or tried to retrieve tens of thousands of dollars from the victims in their residences in New York and New Jersey, USA. At the time, he was an employee of the Social Security Administration in New York.
On June 25, 2024, Valdez was arrested and charged with wire fraud conspiracy. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charge.
On December 3, 2024, Valdez attended a hearing in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey before before the Honorable Claire C. Cecchi of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The Bronx resident pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.
On April 9, 2025, Valdez will be sentenced. A federal district court judge will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors and determine any sentence.
According to U.S. attorney Philip Sellinger for the District of New Jersey, Valdez and his co-conspirators took advantage of grandparents’ love and concern for their grandchildren they believed to be in trouble and convinced the elderly victims to pay thousands of dollars. Sellinger said his office will continue to protect the rights of all victims and relentlessly prosecute those who target and cheat vulnerable seniors.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security‘s Homeland Security Investigations and the Social Security Administration‘s Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Carolyn Silane and Alison Thompson for the District of Jersey and trial attorney Joshua Ferrentino of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.
CONAN Daily 