Grandparent Scam Perpetrators Sentenced To Prison: DOJ

WESTLAKE, OH — Two Florida men have been sentenced to prison for perpetrating a grandparent scam against Northeast Ohioans, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Tyler Pla, 25, and Johnny Lee Palmer, 26, were both sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Pla was given 37 months imprisonment, while Palmer was given 33 months imprisonment. Both men were also ordered to pay $383,932 in restitution to their victims, the Department of Justice announced.

Pla and Palmer both previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

Between July 2020 and August 28, 2020, both men orchestrated a scam targeting older residents in Westlake, Brecksville, Gates Mills, Lorain, Mansfield, Parma, Fairview Park and Mentor, court documents said.

Here's how the scheme worked: someone would call the target and pretend to be their relative or an attorney for their relative. The caller would claim the family member had been arrested and needed money for bail. A meeting would be arranged between the target and a "courier" willing to transfer the money on the target's behalf, court documents said.

Pla or Palmer would then play the role of "courier" and meet the target and take their money, court documents said.

The Cleveland division of the FBI and Westlake police led the investigation into Pla and Palmer.