A Peruvian national has been sentenced to an 80-month prison term and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution, following a large-scale fraud operation that targeted Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States. David Cornejo Fernandez, 36, of Lima, Peru, was identified as a key facilitator in a scheme where fraudulent call centers in Peru used internet-based phone lines, caller-ID spoofing, and recorded messages to deceive thousands.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Cornejo provided the call centers with the means to impersonate U.S. government officials. This enabled them to threaten victims with nonexistent legal actions and fines to extort payments for English-language products that were never requested. He was extradited from Peru in November 2024 and entered a guilty plea for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July.
These fraudulent call centers operated by manipulating fear and authority, as they presented themselves as law enforcement, attorneys, and other official entities. The technology and services provided by Cornejo allowed them to change their caller-ID to maintain the ruse even after being reported for fraud, thereby continuing their deceptive practices.
The collective actions of Cornejo and his accomplices resulted in losses exceeding $3 million from more than 8,800 victims across the U.S. With Cornejo's sentencing, he becomes the ninth individual to be extradited from Peru and sentenced in the U.S. for involvement in this transnational crime ring. This sentencing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida marks the end of a chapter for one part of a broader scheme that preyed on more than 30,000 victims in the United States, according to the Justice Department's announcement.
Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice led the prosecution of the case alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda, who is in charge of asset forfeiture. The ongoing efforts to crack down on schemes targeting Spanish-speaking residents are part of the Justice Department's commitment to preventing financial fraud, especially against seniors. For those affected, the National Elder Fraud Hotline offers support at 1-833-FRAUD-11, with services available in multiple languages.
