Last fugitive from network that defrauded $15 million in US arrested in San Juan de Lurigancho
Karount Jannet Toledo Vásquez, 49, was detained in Lima with an Interpol red notice. The organisation extorted more than 30,000 Spanish speakers in the US.
Last fugitive from telephone fraud network detained in San Juan de Lurigancho
The National Police of Peru and the Diplomatic Security Service of the United States detained on 23 October Karount Jannet Toledo Vásquez, 49, while she was walking on a public street in San Juan de Lurigancho. According to exitosanoticias.pe, the woman was the last identified fugitive from an organisation that defrauded and extorted more than 30,000 Spanish-speaking people in United States territory, accumulating losses exceeding 15 million dollars.
The arrest was carried out by the Division of Investigation against Organised Crime (Divincco), a unit attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (Dirincri), in coordination with the office of the Diplomatic Security Service of the United States Embassy in Lima. Toledo Vásquez had an Interpol red notice registered since 2024 and a current judicial requisition for the crime of extortion as part of an extradition process requested by United States justice.
A clandestine call centre in Lima as operational headquarters
According to investigations by United States authorities, the organisation operated from a clandestine office in Lima that functioned as a call centre. Between 2013 and 2018, its members contacted by telephone Latin American migrants residing in that country to offer them false English courses and other non-existent products.
To obtain payments, the operators identified themselves as officials of the United States Government during the calls. When seeking additional disbursements, they resorted to threats of deportation and arguments related to alleged outstanding debts in order to intimidate the victims.
United States courts are investigating the network for the crimes of extortion, money laundering and fraud. Official reports attribute to this structure economic damages close to 15 million dollars and a total of more than 30,000 affected persons.
Background and implications of the arrest
Toledo Vásquez had already been apprehended in 2019, although on that occasion she regained her freedom. Following her detention on 23 October, she was transferred to police facilities to comply with legal procedures in Peru. The arrest does not imply her immediate transfer to the United States: the extradition process will follow the corresponding judicial procedures.
The United States Embassy in Lima confirmed through its social media that other Peruvian citizens implicated in the same case have already been extradited and are serving sentences in that country, and described Toledo Vásquez as the last identified fugitive from the organisation.
Source: Google News PE — Crime