2 Long Islanders Tied to Scheme Duping Victims Out of $4.8M: Feds

A federal judge today issued a temporary injunction against individuals - two of whom are from Long Island - who operated three international mail-fraud schemes that scammed victims out of $4.8 million this year, federal officials said.

In a complaint filed today, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that 15 individuals "mailed or facilitated the mailing of fraudulent solicitations related to three mail fraud schemes that primarily victimized the elderly or vulnerable," according to federal officials.

The complaint alleged that Anthony Kafeiti of Port Jefferson; 49-year-old Steven L. Diaz of Crystal Brook Hollow Road in Mt. Sinai; and Charles Kafeiti of Phoenix, Arizona operate fraud schemes that lead victims to believe a large cash awards awaits them. The three schemes were assisted by Drew Wilson, a resident of Vancouver, Canada, who provided logistical support. Other named defendants, Dennis Hunsaker, a resident of Las Vegas Nevada, and his company, Digital Matrix International Inc., assisted the direct mailers with online tools to manage their mailings, lists of recipients, lists of respondents, and fulfillments. Carmine Maietta and Elizabeth Maietta, residents of Westbury, New York, opened and processed victim returns. The suit also named a German corporation that processed victim payments for the scheme, SixEvolution GmbH, and its operator, David Anthony.

“We will not tolerate fraud, and we will not allow the U.S. Mail to be used as a conduit for fraudulent conduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Illegal schemes that prey on people’s hopes are reprehensible, and we will continue to vigorously pursue the operators of such schemes.”

According to officials, the solicitations purported to be personalized notices informing people that they had won a large cash prize but needed to pay a fee to claim their winnings. The scheme targeted victims throughout the world, and victims returned their payments to mailboxes located in the United States.

The complaint alleges that victims sent thousands of dollars each week in response to the defendants’ fraudulent solicitations. In the last year, the three mail fraud schemes collectively mailed over half a million fraudulent letters, grossing an estimated $4.8 million in fraudulent proceeds, officials said.

A temporary restraining order was issued against the defendants to prevent them from continuing to send fraudulent solicitations during the pendency of the action. The district court found probable cause to believe that those defendants are engaged in mail fraud and entered the order. A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3.

“These fraudulent solicitation schemes target elderly and vulnerable residents in our district, around the country and around the world with a promise of cash prizes that never arrive,” said Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “We are committed to protecting our residents, and victims everywhere, from these cruel schemes.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has been at the forefront of protecting consumers from fraud schemes for many years,” said Inspector in Charge Delany De Leon-Colon for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group. “Deceptive solicitations take advantage of the American public with promises of easy money, when in reality, the scammers are the only ones making money. Investigations like this one let the American public – especially our vulnerable population – know that Postal Inspectors are working hard to protect them and ensure their confidence in the U.S. Mail.”