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Date: 01-11-2023
Case Style:
United States of America v. Manuel Mauro Chavez
Case Number: 3:18-cr-00311
Judge: Max O. Cogburn, Jr
Court: United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (Mecklenburg County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office for Charlotte
Defendant's Attorney: Alek Ubieta and Joel Hirschorn
Description: Charlotte, North Carolina criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and money laundering.
Manuel Mauro Chavez, 32, of Hollywood, was convicted at trial in July 2021 in the Western District of North Carolina of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering, and six counts of international money laundering. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Chavez was a U.S.-based participant in a fraudulent scheme in which telemarketers based in Costa Rica falsely posed as U.S. government officials and contacted victims in the United States to tell them they had won a substantial “sweepstakes” prize, but before collecting this supposed prize, they needed to make a series of up-front payments to cover purported taxes or other fees. After deceiving victims out of their money, Chavez transmitted these funds from the United States for the benefit of the call center and others involved in the scheme in Costa Rica.
In two related matters, Mark Raymond Oman, 38, of Long Beach, Washington, was sentenced on Nov. 17, 2022, to three years and one month in prison, and Paul Andy Stiep, 30, of Miami, was sentenced on Dec. 20, 2022, to seven years in prison. Oman worked at the call center soliciting victims and collected victim funds in Costa Rica, while Stiep transmitted victims’ payments from the United States for the benefit of the call center in Costa Rica.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Scherck of the FBI Charlotte Field Office, Inspector in Charge Tommy Coke of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Atlanta Division, and Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI, USPIS, and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Joshua DeBold and Della Sentilles of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
18:1349 and 2326(2)(A)&(B) - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT WIRE AND MAIL FRAUD
(1)
18:1343, 2326(2)(A)&(B) and 2 - WIRE FRAUD
(3)
18:1343, 2326(2)(A)&(B) and 2 - WIRE FRAUD
(6-10)
18:1956(h) - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MONEY LAUNDERING
(11)
18:1956(a)(2)(A) and 2 - MONEY LAUNDERING INTERNATIONAL
(13)
18:1956(a)(2)(A) and 2 - MONEY LAUNDERING INTERNATIONAL
(16-20)
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 133 months in prison.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: