Cops: Wood Dale bank employee broke up alleged lottery scam
An alert Wood Dale bank employee helped police break up an alleged lottery scam ring suspected of targeting the elderly, authorities said.
Carmen Maldonado, 54, of Kissimmee, Fla., and Luz Cuellar, 57, of Woodhaven, N.Y., appeared Friday in DuPage County bond court on charges of theft by deception.
The felony typically is punishable by up to seven years in prison, but Assistant State's Attorney Steven Knight said the women face six to 30 years behind bars if convicted because they have repeated convictions for similar scams in more than a half-dozen states.
A third person, Carlos Figueroa-Jimenez, 27, of Sunny Isles, Fla., was charged with possessing a fraudulent passport, a felony that carries a possible three-year prison sentence.
Wood Dale Deputy Chief Greg Vesta said the investigation began July 7 after a 77-year-old Wood Dale man lost several thousand dollars in the scam. The man reported being approached in a grocery store parking lot by a woman who said she had a winning lottery ticket, but needed his help collecting the money because she was not a legal citizen, Vesta said. She offered to give the man a cut.
Another woman soon joined them. Vesta said the trio called Figueroa-Jimenez, who pretended to be a lottery agent and informed the women they had to front a substantial amount of cash to claim the prize.
The elderly man withdrew money from his bank, with the plan they would drive together to Chicago to split the winnings.
Instead, Knight said, the women made off with the man's money after one of them feigned illness and asked him to run into a convenience store for Pepto-Bismol. When he came out, they were gone.
"It's a very, very common scam," Vesta said. "They build up his confidence by talking to a fake lottery official. They're professionals at what they do and are sophisticated at it. They prey on the innocent and the elderly who are willing to take people for their word."
As Wood Dale police investigated the crime, Vesta said, they learned of a second victim in Bensenville who fell for the same scam. Wood Dale detectives distributed fliers to area banks alerting employees.
On Wednesday, Vesta said, an employee at a Wood Dale bank saw another elderly man in the parking lot approached by two women who matched the suspects' descriptions. After a brief exchange, the man got into a vehicle with them and left the scene. The bank employee called police. Officers arrested Cuellar and Maldonado minutes later.
Police later tracked down Figueroa-Jimenez, whom they suspect acted as the fake lottery agent, but so far he is only facing the illegal passport charge.
Immigration officials issued detainers for Maldonado and Cuellar for possible deportation proceedings once the criminal case concludes.
In Friday bond court, Cuellar said she works cleaning homes, while Maldonado said she lives with her son. DuPage Associate Judge Liam Brennan set bail at $150,000 for Cuellar, and $250,000 for Maldonado. Figueroa-Jimenez remains held on $7,000 bail.