3 hours Ago
FRESNO, California — The United States has reached a consent decree with Dale Lake, of Hanford, to resolve allegations of his involvement in a fraud scheme targeting senior citizens. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of California, accused Lake of acting as a "money mule" in a mail and wire fraud operation. The complaint alleged that Lake received funds or gift cards obtained through fraudulent means and then transmitted those funds to accomplices in Jamaica. Other participants in the scheme contacted potential victims, falsely claiming they had won a lottery or prize, and induced them to send money to Lake to claim their winnings, according to a press release from the U.
S. Attorney's Office. The consent decree, approved by U.
S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, permanently prohibits Lake from participating in any prize promotion fraud or money transmitting business.
It also authorizes the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) to monitor Lake’s incoming mail to ensure compliance with the decree.
“Money mules facilitate fraud against vulnerable populations,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A.
Talbert. “The U.S.
Attorney’s Office will hold accountable anyone who engages in schemes to defraud the public. Our office is committed to educating the public about how fraudsters use money mules to receive and transfer money to third parties.” Inspector in Charge Stephen M.
Sherwood of the USPIS San Francisco Division stated, “Postal Inspectors will continue to use all the tools of law enforcement, including civil remedies, to protect the public from fraud schemes employing money mules.” This case is part of a broader effort by the Justice Department, USPIS, FBI, and other federal law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt networks that transmit funds from fraud victims to international fraudsters. These schemes often target older Americans and include lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams, as well as schemes targeting businesses or government pandemic funds.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A.
Fuentes handled the case for the United States..
