MIAMI, Florida — A Nicaraguan national previously deported has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his involvement in a cyber-enabled international bank impersonation scheme that defrauded victims across the United States of more than $29 million.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom sentenced 41-year-old Ernesto Ortega Padgett after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to transport stolen property. “Ortega built a sophisticated international fraud scheme on deception, stolen trust, and technology, draining more than $29 million from victims across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Today’s 15-year sentence sends a clear message: if you steal from Americans through fraud and hide behind borders, technology, or shell accounts, we will find you, extradite you, and hold you accountable.”
Beginning in 2020, Ortega and his co-conspirators posed as bank representatives, using technology and social engineering to trick victims into disclosing sensitive financial information. Ortega accessed victims’ accounts to initiate unauthorized wire transfers, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office…