Erie, Pa. (WJET/WFXP/ YourErie.com ) — Two Las Vegas residents have been sentenced for their roles in scamming close to $220,000 from Pennsylvania victims.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 57-year-old Roderick Feurtado was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison and 47-year-old Tarek Bouanane was sentenced to 46 months for “conspiracy to commit wire fraud.” Both will serve three years of supervised release following imprisonment.
After a five-day trial in September 2023, provided evidence showed Feutado and Bouanane allegedly went to Pittsburgh, Pa., in September 2021 with plans to scam elderly victims.
In their operation, both defendants and co-conspirators contacted residents falsely claiming one of their family members was detained and needed bail money.
The victims were told to take out cash and give it to a “courier,” who in reality was involved in the scam. Bouanane acted as one of the couriers who visited the victims’ homes while Feurtado gave instructions to the couriers and collected the money.