Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano, a 40-year-old Peruvian national, pleaded guilty to his involvement in a transnational mail and wire fraud conspiracy. Zuñiga operated a call center in Lima that targeted Spanish-speaking U.S. residents, falsely threatening them with arrest, court proceedings, and immigration issues. He was extradited from Peru in March to face charges related to the scheme.
The fraud scheme, which involved over 30,000 victims and amassed $15 million, tricked immigrants into paying for English-learning products they never requested. Zuñiga and his co-conspirators impersonated officials, using fear and intimidation to extort payments from vulnerable consumers. Victims who paid were targeted again with false promises of restitution, further exploiting them.
Zuñiga is the 12th person convicted in connection with this scheme, which included eight Peruvian call center operators and four U.S.-based distribution center operators. These individuals collaborated to defraud U.S. consumers and shared strategies to maximize their illegal profits. Several other defendants involved in the case have already been sentenced to prison terms.
The case was investigated by multiple U.S. agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch. Zuñiga faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for October 10. His extradition from Peru was secured with the help of international and Peruvian authorities.
Reference:
