Peruvian woman arrested in SJL to be extradited to the US for $15 million fraud
Karount Jannet Toledo Vásquez, 49, was detained in San Juan de Lurigancho with a red alert from Interpol. The US links her to a network that defrauded more than 30,000 people.
Last fugitive from fraudulent telemarketing network captured in Lima
Peru's National Police, alongside the United States Diplomatic Security Service, detained Karount Jannet Toledo Vásquez, 49, in San Juan de Lurigancho, according to apnoticias.pe. The woman had an Interpol red alert notification since 2024 for alleged involvement in extortion, fraud and money laundering.
The operation took place as the suspect was travelling through a public street. The authorities carried out her arrest as part of an extradition process requested by US justice.
Clandestine network operated from Lima between 2013 and 2018
According to investigations by US authorities, the organisation operated from a clandestine office in Lima that functioned as a call centre. Between 2013 and 2018, its members contacted Latin American migrants living in US territory to offer them false English courses and other non-existent products.
During the calls, those involved identified themselves as officials of the US Government. When seeking to obtain further payments, they resorted to threats of deportation and references to alleged outstanding debts as methods of intimidation.
US official reports attribute losses of nearly 15 million dollars to this organisation and a total of more than 30,000 affected Spanish speakers.
Arrest was made possible by joint work between Divincco and the US Embassy
The location of Toledo Vásquez was the result of coordination between the US Embassy's Diplomatic Security Service and the Criminal Investigation Directorate (Dirincri), through the Organised Crime Investigation Division (Divincco).
The detainee had already been detained in 2019, but regained her freedom on that occasion. After her arrest in San Juan de Lurigancho, she was transferred to police facilities to comply with corresponding proceedings.
According to the US Embassy, Toledo Vásquez was the last identified fugitive of the organisation. Other Peruvian citizens implicated in the same case have already been extradited and are serving sentences in that country. The current arrest does not imply her immediate transfer to US territory.
Source: Google News PE — Crime