A mother and son from Peru have been convicted of multiple U.S. fraud, conspiracy and extortion charges stemming from a scam targeting Spanish-speaking people.
The Justice Department said Monday that 35-year-old Juan Alejandro Rodriguez Cuya was convicted by a federal jury in Miami of 26 conspiracy, fraud and extortion charges. His mother, 52-year-old Maria Luzula, pleaded guilty to similar charges about halfway through the trial.
Both face lengthy prison sentences.
Trial evidence showed that Spanish-speaking people were targeted with calls from Peru. The callers falsely accused the victims of refusing delivery of certain products and claiming they faced possible fines and lawsuits. The callers also said the victims could pay a so-called settlement fee to take care of the matter.
Authorities say several thousand people were victimized.
