F.B.I. Nabs Local Woman In National Scam

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a Springs woman early Tuesday, charging her with being part of a scheme that used local banks and local addresses to defraud seven elderly people across the country of nearly $700,000 by convincing them they needed to pay taxes and fees before claiming bogus sweepstakes winnings.

The F.B.I. is also searching for an East Hampton man and a Hampton Bays woman in connection with the alleged scheme.

Ana P. Leon, 50, also known as Ana P. Gonzalez, was taken into custody at her house at 112 Sycamore Drive in Springs early Tuesday morning, according to Kelly Langmesser, a spokeswoman for the F.B.I.’s New York office. Ms. Leon was arraigned in front of United States Magistrate Judge Steven A. Locke in the U.S. District Court on Tuesday afternoon. Her alleged accomplices, Ivan D. Pelaez, 51, of East Hampton, and Sandra E. Leon, 47, also known as Sandra E. Chavarria, of Hampton Bays, are now on the F.B.I.’s wanted list.

The two women are sisters, Ms. Langmesser said. All three are Costa Rican natives who are legal residents of the United States.

The trio opened multiple bank accounts in Amagansett, East Hampton, and Manhattan and set up post office boxes in all three, the United States attorney’s office for the Eastern District said in a release on Tuesday.

Using a series of aliases, they then began contacting elderly people across the country, telling them they had won a sweepstakes, according to the complaint filed in court Tuesday by Victor Gerardi, a special agent with the F.B.I. The scam was in operation from September 2012 to June 2014, the complaint says.

The seven alleged victims were from Georgia, Utah, Michigan, Arizona, Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin. Because it is an ongoing investigation, Ms. Langmesser would not comment on how investigators believe the seven were chosen.

The complaint describes the alleged victims, identifying them only by numbers. All but one were 80 or older. One, who was 90, has since died. Agent Gerardi, who has been with the force for over 20 years and specializes in various forms of fraud, said in the complaint, that the three would take turns, using a variety of aliases, telling the victims that they were the winners of a sweepstakes. The three used cellphones with the 202 Washington, D.C., area code, frequently stating that they were with government agencies.

Most of the victims were told they had won $3.5 million and needed to pay taxes and fees before they could receive the money. All seven victims complied, sending checks to post office boxes in Amagansett, East Hampton, and Hampton Bays, as well as a Manhattan address, 440 East 78th Street. Ms. Langmesser said the operation was mainly run from East Hampton and Manhattan.

One victim was taken for $250,000, another for almost $200,000.

The banks at which the three set up accounts were Wells Fargo, Bridgehampton National Bank, Chase, Bank of America, and Citibank.

Investigators from Wells Fargo’s fraud unit became suspicious in the fall of 2013 after a relative of a victim who had paid almost $250,000 to an account in the name of Ana P. Leon contacted the bank. Ms. Leon had given 4 Rowman Court in Springs as her address.

The bank then called the number it had on file for Ms. Leon, who allegedly answered. When she was asked what the money the victim had paid out was being used for, Ms. Leon reportedly said that she could not talk because she was in an airport and hung up. The agent said that the F.B.I. is in possession of video from the bank showing Ms. Leon making a withdrawal from the account in August 2013. It is not clear from the complaint whether the trio closed the account after that or not. It is also not clear whether that investigation is what brought the F.B.I. into the picture.

Mr. Pelaez allegedly used a 16 Bay View Drive, East Hampton, address to open a post office box and bank accounts. That property is owned by Olivia Pelaez, according to the complaint.

The specific charges against Ms. Leon were unsealed during her Tuesday afternoon arraignment. According to Nellin McIntosh, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office, Ms. Leon was remanded without the possibility of bail.

The three are each facing charges of mail and wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit those crimes, Ms. McIntosh said.