New York Man Admits Laundering Proceeds of Elder Fraud and Computer Fraud Schemes

NEWARK, N.J. - A Queens, New York, man today admitted that he illegally laundered the proceeds of elder fraud and computer fraud schemes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Hector Claveria, 51, of Elmhurst, New York pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to Count Two of the indictment charging him with international money laundering.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In early 2020, Claveria acted as a money mule for a fraudulent scheme by picking up numerous packages that contained cash that he knew were proceeds of illegal activity. He then laundered some of this money in June 2020 by wiring $20,000 from his U.S. bank account to a foreign bank account. These funds were the proceeds of two fraudulent schemes: The first was an elder-fraud scheme in which the perpetrators tricked elder victims into believing that they owed money to various government agencies and companies, and then into sending payments to locations identified by the perpetrators. The second was a computer-fraud scheme in which perpetrators tricked victims into believing that they owed money to a computer services company, and then into sending payments to locations identified by the perpetrators, purportedly at the direction of the computer company. At the time Claveria wired the funds to a foreign account, he knew that the transfer was designed to conceal and disguise the nature of the funds.

The charge of international money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Social Security Administration Office, of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chana Zuckier of the OCDETF Unit and Jennifer Kozar of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.