2 New Jersey Men Accused Of Running Miami Phone Scam

MEDLEY, FL -- Two New Jersey men were accused Wednesday of running a phone scam out of the Miami area that preyed on an elderly man in Louisiana.

Twenty-four-year-old Marcos Alamonte-Mejia of Belleville and 28-year-old Anyulia Recio-Carmona of Newark were each charged by Miami-Dade prosecutors with two counts of organized fraud and attempted fraudulent use of identification.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said the disabled victim sent $16,200 cash to what officials described as an extended stay hotel in the town of Medley.

"The victim, who resides in Louisiana, was led to believe that his nephew had been arrested in Miami-Dade County and was in immediate need of financial help," Miami-Dade prosecutors explained.

The fraud began on March 21 when the Louisiana man received a call from someone claiming to be a defense attorney from Coral Gables.

"The alleged attorney stated he had been assigned to represent the victim’s nephew in a newly-filed criminal case," prosecutors said. "The voice on the telephone indicated that it would take $10,000 to have the nephew released from jail on bond."

Prosecutors said that the Louisiana man sent the money to Medley and was prepared to send more.

"A second request for an additional $6,200 was made to the victim," according to prosecutors. "In many such situations, when the first payment is made so easily, alleged perpetrators often move quickly to see if more money can be obtained."

The scam was thwarted when the victim learned that his nephew was not in Florida and called police.

"Medley police acted quickly, intercepted the recently arrived package, and arrested Alamonte-Mejia and Recio-Carmona," said prosecutors.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said her office worked closely with the Medley Police Department to bust the scam.

“Far too often, our elderly citizens are targeted in such telephone ripoffs," Fernandez Rundle said. "The Medley Police Department moved quickly to grab these guys and save a well-intentioned victim from such alleged con men.”

Medley Police Chief Jeanette Said-Jinete, praised Louisiana police for alerting her department and for the quick response of her officers.

"Thanks to Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives who contacted us, the swift response by our officers and the hard work of our detectives, we were able to apprehend these heartless individuals," she said.