Two men from Nevada were convicted by a federal jury yesterday in connection with a phone scam that affected people throughout Western Pennsylvania.
56-year-old Roderick Feurtado and 47-year-old Tarek Bouanane, both of Las Vegas, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The verdict came quickly after a five-day trial in federal court in Pittsburgh. The two along with Roberto Gutierrez of Reseda, California would contact victims and claim that a relative, usually a grandchild, was detained as part of a legal proceeding and needed bail money. The victim would then be directed to withdraw a large amount of money and provide it to a courier, who would collect it at their home. In reality, the calls were false, and Bouanane would act as the courier picking up the money while Feurtado would give directions to the victim’s house and collect the money. The two would keep a portion for themselves and pass the rest to co-conspirators. The trio were able to get $250,000 in their scam. State police were able to recover most of the money stolen.
The two face a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both, but that could be adjusted based on the seriousness of the offense and if there is any prior criminal history.
