Payza and Patel bros indicted on $250 million money laundering charges

[littleroundman]

The United States Attorney Office for District of Columbia (https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/payza-and-two-canadian-brothers-accused-operating-unlicensed-money-service-business-and) office today announced the unsealing of an INDICTMENT (https://www.justice.gov/file/1044861/download) alleging:

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You can read the USAO DoC (https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/payza-and-two-canadian-brothers-accused-operating-unlicensed-money-service-business-and) press release HERE (https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/payza-and-two-canadian-brothers-accused-operating-unlicensed-money-service-business-and)

You can download the indictment in .PDF format HERE (https://www.justice.gov/file/1044861/download)

[littleroundman]

Props to PATRICK PRETTY.com (http://patrickpretty.com/2018/03/21/bulletin-payza-patel-brothers-indicted-feds-move-to-forfeit-payza-com-domain-name/) for breaking the story:

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[Fat City, LA]

Inside Payza & the Patel brothers' multi-million dollar criminal enterprise (http://behindmlm.com/payment-processors/inside-payza-the-patel-brothers-multi-million-dollar-criminal-enterprise/)

[littleroundman]

Anyone who thinks the US isn't serious about internet fraud and fraudsters is in for a rude shock

Check out which agencies were involved in the Payza / Patel investigation:

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/payza-and-two-canadian-brothers-accused-operating-unlicensed-money-service-business)

"This case is being investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Field office. It is being prosecuted and investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui and Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Assistance has been provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Marston and Diane Lucas; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly; Paralegal Specialists C. Rosalind Pressley and Toni Donato; Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant; Document Management Analyst Basizette Stribling; Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick; and Litigation Technology Specialists Ron Royal and Joshua Ellen"

[Bestbud]

Reminds me of Liberty Reserve. Vladamir Kats is serving 10 years in prison and Arthur Budovsky received a 20 year prison term for money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business...

[littleroundman]

Given the current toughening attitude of US law enforcement, you'd have to expect even tougher sentences for the Patel brothers

[Whip]

Anyone who thinks the US isn't serious about internet fraud and fraudsters is in for a rude shock



well, sharley. just sayin'

[littleroundman]

You'd think Charlie and Chirley would want to get it over and done with before the US clamps down even harder

[nuk_1]

Reminds me of Liberty Reserve. Vladamir Kats is serving 10 years in prison and Arthur Budovsky received a 20 year prison term for money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business...

Or e-gold, emopay, etc. What I don't get is why it took so long to bust AlertPay/Payza. For several years Patel has openly appeared with ponzi scammers, recruiting their business and aiding them on money laundering. Very blatant. Of course, Ragnarok/Budovsky had the same pitch with Liberty Reserve, but he wasn't running around in public or taking photos about it. He just first relied on their old contacts he laundered money for in the past and took it from there. Took the feds around 5 yrs to bust LR which was doing a whole lot more financial maneuvering offshore than Patel attempted, and it took around 10 years to get AP/Payza busted. S-L-O-W.

[Bestbud]

The e-gold website was officially closed in January of 2015. It took 8 years for all of the claims against e-gold to be processed...

[EagleOne]

I remember when Charles Scoville was telling how he only moved TM's PayPal money to his personal bank account so he could then move it to TM's Payza account to surprise TM members with early payment. He had lied telling them the PayPal funds wouldn't be released until August 11, when he knew all along it was going to be July 11.

He bragged how he had met with Firoz Patel and Firoz said he would help him and bent over backwards to get things done much quicker than it would normally take to set up TM's account. Bet Charles won't be telling about this in his oral argument today in the Appeals Court hearing.

[Bestbud]

"US authorities have seized the Payza and AlertPay websites, as part of forfeiture in a $250 million money laundering case filed against co-founders Firoz and Ferhan Patel."

Payza website offline, domain seized by DOJ and HSI (http://behindmlm.com/payment-processors/payza-website-offline-domain-seized-by-doj-and-hsi/#more-42070)

[surfer]

If only this image appeared on many more sites far more rapidly:

22022

[littleroundman]

Clicking on the link given takes you to this:

https://imageshack.com/a/img923/9551/0DWVuI.png

[Bestbud]

"Within 24 hours of the Department of Justice and Homeland Security seizing Payza’s .com domain, the payment processor reemerged on a .eu domain."

How are Payza continuing to provide payment processor services? (http://behindmlm.com/payment-processors/how-are-payza-continuing-to-provide-payment-processor-services)

[Daveyw]

Why would they write to a little customer like Chirley Scoville?


[ATTACH=CONFIG]22036

[Whip]

you act like thieves shouldn't know each other. lol

[Bestbud]

"As one of its operators sits in a Michigan federal prison and the other is listed “at large” by U.S. authorities, Payza today announced a purported “restructuring” as a “European service” that has ceased serving U.S. customers."

Indicted Payza Announces ‘Restructuring’ (http://patrickpretty.com/2018/03/23/indicted-payza-announces-restructuring)

[littleroundman]

https://imageshack.com/a/img922/4755/5cmE3t.png

Payza.EU blog (https://blog.payza.eu/payza-updates/announcements/payza-restructuring/)

[Bestbud]

"The latest move by Payza co-founder and fugitive Firoz Patel, has been to terminate payment processor services to US residents.

It appears now, like Patel, Payza itself is on the run from US authorities."

Payza terminate US payment processing, status of client funds unknown (http://behindmlm.com/payment-processors/payza-terminate-us-payment-processing-status-of-client-funds-unknown/#more-42184)

[littleroundman]

journaldemontreal (http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/05/20/35-m-reclames-a-lepouse-dun-millionnaire-en-cavale) is reporting (Google translated)

https://imageshack.com/a/img924/1055/znrzcZ.png

You can read the original (untranslated) article here journaldemontreal (http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/05/20/35-m-reclames-a-lepouse-dun-millionnaire-en-cavale)

[Bestbud]

"Following his indictment earlier this year, Payza co-founder Firoz Patel went into hiding.

Now, if a June 12th Facebook status update is to be believed, Patel has resurfaced in Quebec, Canada.

Patel’s June 12th “check in” update is accompanied with a message seemingly aimed at the Department of Justice:

I want to take a moment and loosely quote Mark Twain… “The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”

Payza's Firoz Patel surfaces in Canada, mocks DOJ (http://behindmlm.com/payment-processors/payzas-firoz-patel-surfaces-in-canada-mocks-doj/#more-43655)

[Bestbud]

"After roughly ten months of being a fugitive, Firoz Patel is turning himself in."

https://behindmlm.com/payment-processors/firoz-patel-turning-himself-in-to-face-payza-money-laundering-charges/#more-47038