Spanish
Santo Domingo. - The Public Ministry arrested the accused Yliana María Cruz García, sentimental partner and frontwoman of Oscar Manuel Castaños García, arrested within the framework of Operation Discovery 3.0 and requested for extradition by the United States for his connection to the criminal structure that committed computer fraud to the detriment of citizens of that nation of retirement age.
A judicial arrest warrant was executed against Cruz García on Wednesday when he went, along with his lawyer, to the Palace of Justice in Santiago to examine the file.
The accused manages the financial firm Invermeg along with her sister-in-law Gipsy Pamela Castaños Colón, also arrested on August 19th when she was leaving the hearing where the Supreme Court of Justice was hearing the extradition request process of her brother Oscar Manuel Castaños García (Oscar Castaños, Oscar García or Oscar Castaño García Castaño), who voluntarily accepted his extradition to that nation.
Now, the number of those arrested totals 3 following the August 12 raids, during which a first group of 6 people were apprehended and 5 legal entities linked to the criminal group that used digital platforms to commit crimes such as computer fraud, theft of personal data, identity theft, and money laundering to the detriment of citizens of the United States of retirement age were also charged.
With the most recent arrests, the individuals charged in the process now total 9, who will be subject to coercive measures before the Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of the Judicial District of Santiago.
On Wednesday, the Public Ministry concluded with the reading of the request for coercive measures against the members of the network dismantled with Operation Discovery 3.0, for whom it requested 18 months of preventive prison and that the process followed against them be declared complex.
The Public Ministry's litigation team, composed of prosecutor Claudio Cordero, from the Specialized Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Prosecutor's Office, and Reina Jiménez and Elvin Ventura, from the Public Ministry of Santiago, made the request before Judge Yiberty Polanco Herran.
The measure was requested against Jesús Manuel Castaños Colón, Adderly Antonio Polanco Báez, Bernardo Taveras Vélez, José Ramón López Tavárez, Juan Luis Naranjo Gómez and Luis Eduardo Méndez Ureña, as well as Gipsy Pamela Castaños García.
The hearing was adjourned until this Friday, August 29th, due to the lateness of the hour, with the turn now belonging to the defense attorneys of the accused, who present their motivations and budgets.
Yesterday, the Public Ministry also filed with the aforementioned court the request for the same coercive measure against the accused Kelvin Bladimir Vásquez Santana, who was also arrested last Monday at the Santiago Courthouse. Regarding this defendant, the court is expected to set the date for the hearing to consider the measure.
Vásquez Santana worked as the administrator of a financial company called Inversiones Dolores Santana (Inverdosa) S.RL., owned by Oscar Manuel Castaños García.
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The financial company granted loans to 1,300 people in eighteen months for a value of 134 million pesos. The defendant Vásquez Santana served as a front man to register personal and real property of high value, including a 12-apartment building valued at approximately 25 million pesos, located in the community of Pontezuela, Santiago. The Public Ministry indicated that in the coming hours it will also proceed with bringing the accused Yliana María Cruz García to justice, for whom it will also request the same coercive measure. Regarding those requested for extradition by the United States, the institution recalled that, like Oscar Manuel Castaños García, Joel José Cruz Rodríguez (Paflow or Pa Flow, Joel Cruz Rodríguez or Joel Cruz Hermano), Joel Francisco Mathilda León, and Edward José Puello (Edward Puello) also accepted their extradition to that nation, where they will face charges for the crimes committed as part of the structure that primarily defrauded elderly people. The Supreme Court of Justice will also hear the extradition of Gerardo Heriberto Núñez Núñez (Joseo Núñez Núñez), who was imposed as a coercive measure the fulfillment of preventive prison in the Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CCR) Rafey Hombres, of Santiago. The group is wanted by the American justice system for committing various crimes with the so-called "Grandparent Scam". The investigation launched by Operation Discovery 3.0 had been underway for over two years and made it possible to identify a structured group operating through digital platforms. With this action, the Public Ministry advances in the fight against the crimes it faced with the two previous operations: Discovery and Discovery 2.0.
