Mexican authorities arrested Otmane Khalladi in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. Khalladi is a fugitive wanted in the United States for alleged wire fraud and money laundering, according to a statement published by the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, in the newspaper X.
According to the official, the arrest was the result of a coordinated effort between the SSPC (Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), through the AIC-Interpol (Federal Ministerial Police), with support from the Mexican Navy (Semar), the Ministry of National Defense (Defensa), and the Quintana Roo Secretariat of Citizen Security, “derived from information sharing with the FBI.”
García Harfuch stated that Khalladi “used a false identity to evade authorities after entering the country; however, he was located through intelligence and investigative work.” He did not specify the type of document or alias used, nor whether Khalladi is facing immigration or extradition proceedings.
What do we know about Otmane Khalladi, a criminal wanted by the US?
Public information from the United States has placed Otmane Khalladi, 32, a resident of Miami, Florida, among those charged by federal authorities in an investigation into a scam network known as the “grandparent scam,” which targeted senior citizens.
According to the Department of Justice, the scheme allegedly operated since the summer of 2021, using calls from Canada to senior citizens in dozens of states, inducing them to hand over money under the false pretense of a relative being arrested—in most cases, a grandchild—followed by subsequent actions to conceal the origin of the funds.
The indictment alleges losses of more than $21 million, according to the US Department of Justice.
Source: elfinanciero
