Scammers Who Targeted Elderly In $10M Southland Scheme Arrested: DOJ

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two Southland men accused of running a $10 million phone, email and real estate scam targeting elderly people were arrested Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Sylas Nyuydzene Verdzekov, 38, of Chino Hills, and Lovert Che, 44, of Lomita, were arrested on a federal charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. A third man, Mustapha Nkachiwouo Selly Yamie, 29, of Inglewood, is being sought by law enforcement for the same crime, prosecutors said.

"These defendants built a sophisticated fraud and money laundering scheme that targeted and preyed on our most vulnerable citizens," acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally said in a statement. "They not only stole the victims' money, but robbed them of their security and trust."

From at least fall 2021 and continuing to present day, Verdzekov, Yamie and Che, and others, are accused of creating fake passports and driver's licenses and using them to create 36 shell companies, as well as 145 associated bank accounts and 32 private mailboxes. The companies served no legitimate business and were created solely to advance their crimes, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors claim one of their schemes targeted elderly victims using phone calls and email pop-ups. The men and others posed as law enforcement and employees of prominent companies and told the victims they wanted to help them maintain their account security, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The men are accused of then fabricating information that suggested victims' bank accounts were compromised. The victims were told they needed to move money from their "corrupted" accounts quickly into accounts controlled by Verdzekov, Yamie and Che fraudulently opened and controlled, prosecutors said.

In another scam, the defendants are accused of posing as property owners and deceived victims into believing they were buying legitimate property. They tricked the victims into wiring money or mailing checks, prosecutors claim.

Verdzekov, Yamie and Che, and their co-conspirators are accused of laundering at least $10 million in funds taken from at least 100 victims, prosecutors said.

If convicted, the defendants would each face up to 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.