Investigators Arrest Two In Nationwide Fraud Scheme

Law enforcement executed search warrants at three locations in the Northern Berkshires on Monday and arrested two individuals as part of a three-month investigation into a nationwide organized fraud scheme. Members of the State Police Detective Unit, Berkshire Law Enforcement Task Force assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office, and partner police organizations in Adams, Lanesborough, North Adams, Pittsfield, and Williamstown executed a total of five search warrants.

Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington thanked the State Police Detective Unit, Adams Police Department, and all the partner agencies for their dedicated work investigating the complex scheme. She said that the sophisticated conspiracy ring defrauded vulnerable people throughout the entire United States.

Investigators revealed that individuals in the Berkshires played a significant role in the ongoing organized fraud, larceny, and conspiracy ring. Law enforcement gathered evidence that individuals and businesses in the Berkshires were receiving proceeds from the multi-state scheme. Law enforcement intercepted a significant amount of U.S. currency shipped to these locations and returned the money to the appropriate victims. They also identified many of the criminal conspirators involved, their locations, the delivery methods, and the location of the suspected call center initiating the fraud.

Investigators throughout the region and the United States are still actively investigating the method and manners used to illegally solicit and defraud the victims.