A Peruvian national has been sentenced to 80 months in prison and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution for his role in a transnational fraud scheme targeting Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States.
Court documents state that David Cornejo Fernandez, 36, from Lima, Peru, facilitated fraudulent operations that resulted in millions of dollars being stolen from thousands of victims across the U.S. Cornejo supplied internet-based telephone lines, caller-ID spoofing services, and recording tools to a network of call centers in Peru. These call centers used his technology to defraud and extort Spanish-speaking victims by threatening them with legal action if they did not pay for English-language products.
Cornejo was extradited from Peru in November 2024 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July. In his plea, he admitted providing the technology needed for call center operators to impersonate federal agents, police officers, attorneys, court staff, and other officials. The co-conspirators used these tools to make unsolicited calls threatening severe legal or financial consequences unless payments were made. When specific phone numbers were reported as fraudulent by victims, Cornejo provided new numbers so the operation could continue.
The scheme led to losses exceeding $3 million for more than 8,800 victims nationwide.
With this sentencing at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, a total of 13 individuals have now been convicted and sentenced for their roles in similar schemes defrauding Spanish-speaking U.S. consumers by claiming they would face legal penalties if they did not pay for unwanted English-language learning products. Collectively, these defendants are responsible for defrauding over 30,000 Americans.
Among those convicted are eight Peruvian call center owners or operators and four distribution center owners or operators who processed payments within the U.S., along with Cornejo who supported these activities from Peru. The group shared strategies on how best to impersonate government officials and target Spanish-speaking residents.
Cornejo is the ninth defendant extradited from Peru and sentenced in federal court related to these scams involving Peruvian call centers. Previous sentences ranged from 88 months to 110 months in prison between 2021 and 2024 under Judges Robert N. Scola Jr. and Kathleen M. Williams.
The investigation was conducted by USPIS and the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch.
Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice prosecuted the case; Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda managed asset forfeiture proceedings. Support came from several agencies including the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Peruvian National Prosecutor General’s Office, and Peruvian National Police.
The Justice Department continues its efforts against similar schemes targeting Spanish-speaking residents across the country.
Resources are available for older adults affected by financial fraud through the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311), which offers support services Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m ET in multiple languages including English and Spanish.
Further information about elder justice initiatives can be found on the Elder Justice Initiative webpage as well as through www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch (Consumer Protection Branch) and www.ovc.gov (Office for Victims of Crime). Complaints may also be filed with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling 877-FTC-HELP.
Additional details about this case can be accessed via www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20055.
