U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement Director John Morton

Grand Jury Indictment Dept: "This case was a big fat fraud," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said Tuesday in Buffalo, where a 62-count grand jury indictment was unsealed charging 32 people from the United States and Canada, according to CBC. Investigators said victims, drawn in by newspaper ads or internet sites promising loans to people with poor credit, paid upfront fees for loans that never materialized. Investigators allege the scheme operated from around 2005 to 2011 under the direction of a woman from Ontario and u.S. authorities are seeking the arrest and extradition of about two dozen Canadians they allege were involved in an elaborate loan scheme that bilked 2,000 known victims out of more than $2.7 million US. The defendants, including 23 Canadians and 10 Americans, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.