Florida Man Pleads Guilty After Elderly Oregon Victim Loses $40,000 in Cross-Country Bank Scam

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) was involved in a California-based investigation following a fraud scam in which bank employees were impersonated, netting at least one Oregon victim.

A 26-year-old Florida man, Albert Guerra, pleaded guilty yesterday in a San Diego federal court to bank fraud and money laundering charges, after admitting that he traveled across the country to rob victims of their cash, many of them elderly.

At Least One Elderly Oregon Victim was Defrauded of $40,000

According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Southern California, Guerra visited Portland earlier in January this year, where he defrauded at least one victim out of $40,000.

According to his plea agreement, Guerra and his associates contacted victims after obtaining bank customer information, falsely claiming to be investigating bank fraud.

Rideshare Drivers Would Collect Cash from Victims Referred to as ‘My Grandpa’ and ‘My Grandma’

They then convinced their victims to withdraw cash and hand it over to a fake bank employee, who was merely a rideshare driver who Guerra had instructed to collect documents from ‘clients’ he often referred to as ‘my grandma’ or ‘my grandpa.’

Guerra is scheduled for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino on June 18.

Bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, and money laundering carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.