Episode Transcript
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0:04
hello,
0:05
can you me?
0:10
hello
0:12
the i am susan for scam likely
0:15
a production
0:25
following the money had gotten chris
0:28
dave and island the guys who gave a shit
0:30
a long way in their investigation it
0:33
, allowed them to see how the cache of
0:35
victim in the us loaded onto a prepaid
0:37
debit card kept moving farther
0:39
and farther away until it could be
0:41
easily pocketed by the scammers in india
0:44
india had tipped them off to the existence of the runners
0:47
who laundered the money and evaded law
0:49
enforcement by driving all over the u
0:51
the but there was a key part
0:54
of the scheme that the investigators didn't
0:56
fully grasp and that was
0:58
the stolen identities used to move
1:01
the money these identities
1:03
belong to people who had nothing to do with
1:05
the scam but chris davis
1:07
dial and couldn't quite figure it out where
1:10
did those stolen identities come from
1:13
the island the digital data ace
1:15
would look at the information over and
1:18
the we haven't noticed
1:20
that a lot of the stolen identities were
1:23
a bunch of nurses in new york is
1:25
odd that so many of them in
1:27
dispatch were all nurses
1:30
it
1:32
was very odd so another
1:34
federal agent working the case starts digging
1:37
and he notices that it's not just at
1:39
those stolen identities are a bunch of
1:41
nurses from new york they're
1:43
all affiliated with the same company
1:46
so the agent cause of the company and tells
1:49
them they've got a problem the
1:51
not want to believe that something
1:53
like that would happen to us or
1:55
something that's you know i
1:57
could see i could really i didn't know
1:59
team
1:59
the
2:00
this is the ceo of that company
2:03
i'm gonna call him leonardo the
2:05
company who runs helps individuals in
2:07
need of home healthcare fine nurses
2:10
and does a lot of barrel time for for the nurses
2:12
to which involves keeping
2:14
their personal data things like
2:17
social security numbers making
2:19
sure that information stays safe
2:22
is one of his companies most important responsibilities
2:25
the this news that someone
2:28
has stolen it seems like
2:30
an existential risk to leonardo
2:32
when i realized that we had a problem
2:35
ah i , it was not a
2:37
pleasant moment to something
2:39
like that can basically kill basically company
2:42
the federal agent fills leonardo he
2:44
doesn't know how the identities of these particular
2:47
nurses were stone that was
2:49
a misread that following the money alone
2:51
couldn't solve leonardo
2:53
decides it's his company is
2:55
responsibility and he's going to try
2:58
to get to the bottom of it himself there
3:00
is money we didn't such a moment you really
3:02
have two options right you can decide
3:04
either to go and hide and in
3:06
try not to dig
3:09
, much information and leave to death death
3:12
you can what i believe is the right thing to
3:14
do is to really
3:16
dig into the problem in understand the scope
3:19
of understand issue that you haven't had leonardo
3:21
knew that nurses routinely call into
3:23
his company to ask for and share their
3:25
personal information then he also
3:28
knew those calls were handled by a call
3:30
center in india and what leonardo
3:32
finds out is that there's one particular
3:35
employee at that call center has
3:37
fielded the cause of these nurses whose
3:39
identities have been stolen the
3:41
still a puzzle to leonardo how
3:44
could this employee have stolen all
3:46
the information the mind boggling
3:48
how the person found a way to get
3:50
that information i mean yes if it's new no one
3:53
person maybe you can remember the numbers but if you have
3:55
multiple people multiple customer
3:57
data mean how do you keep that in for me
3:59
the
4:01
leonardo noses call center has
4:03
cctv cameras so
4:05
, goes for the footage and he finds out
4:07
exactly what's going on when
4:09
the employees on the phone with the nurses
4:12
with can see their personal information personal his
4:14
computer screen at some
4:16
point during conversations he
4:18
whips out his cell phone and snaps
4:21
a photo leonardo
4:23
cannot believe it had to get pretty persona
4:26
there was also pretty pissed right
4:29
away he books a one way ticket
4:31
to india tells his wife she's
4:33
not sure when he's going to be back within
4:36
indian private investigator he's hired
4:39
leonardo marches into the call center
4:41
and pulls the employers
4:46
the beginning he denied everything birds
4:49
because we had the cctv
4:51
we had access love doing
4:53
this together three was really was really
4:56
basically confronted him
4:59
and basically told him that if
5:02
he's not admitting move
5:04
, he did and give us
5:06
actually all his accomplices accomplices
5:08
will you go
5:10
, him and most
5:12
likely he was going to end up in jail and
5:15
i guess the dealing india is not something that
5:17
he wanted to end up in so
5:19
at a certain points during the interview
5:22
the emperor the basically opened up and
5:24
stop is likely getting a sexy old information
5:26
and leonardo passes leonardo that information
5:29
directly to the investigators there's
5:31
dave is employee currently
5:34
broke like a cheap shot gun and told them that i've
5:36
been selling customers are employed
5:38
p i to the call centers
5:41
this is how i communicate with them so he came
5:43
right back to us the
5:47
email addresses the he had been sending post
5:50
names addresses it's for socials back
5:52
to his handler it was good timing
5:55
because dave dial and chris and their colleagues
5:57
were already busy working their way into the
5:59
heart the call center scam themselves
6:02
and when you combine that with the informational
6:04
leonardo had gotten from his employees
6:06
it's sort of for that overall umbrella but
6:09
the tendrils down to the various cruise
6:11
and said all of his call centers are working in
6:13
concert with one another and now
6:15
and essentially was able to fit
6:17
your fingers out there and touch all of them
6:26
you can say media and sony music entertainment
6:29
this , scam likely the
6:32
forces of the moment
6:35
i'm you digit editors
6:51
she'll find
6:54
the evidence
6:57
taking down and organized crime networks
7:00
is a lot more difficult than going on for
7:02
a loan seas or murder
7:04
mark your families that run extortion rackets
7:07
or drug cartels to apply the narcotics
7:10
trade that up systems to protect
7:12
their businesses from law enforcement the
7:14
masterminds sitting at the top don't
7:16
get their hands dirty criminal
7:18
acts that can be easily priests are
7:21
carried out by minions at the lowest
7:23
rungs of the hierarchy if
7:25
those millions get caught said doesn't
7:27
bother to ringleaders because they
7:29
always have plausible deniability
7:33
and
7:35
so in august two thousand and
7:37
fourteen a year and a half
7:39
after the start of the investigation the
7:42
, decided it was time
7:44
to move one run up the ladder
7:47
ladder meant getting to mathis patel
7:50
the boss of many of the runners chris
7:52
davis dial on had tracked round the country
7:55
my taste you might remember from episode
7:57
two episode the guy who called the guy runners
7:59
back the bible to instill some discipline
8:02
and them and review their performance they
8:05
had to do was find out what
8:07
mutation new without him
8:09
becoming aware of they
8:12
knew exactly how to do we're
8:15
borders authorities so
8:17
, allowed to search for if anything the comes into
8:19
or out of us us
8:22
and his colleagues new with these traveled
8:24
back and forth to india to the
8:27
next time he less the united states they
8:29
asked immigration authorities to stop
8:31
him at customs for a routine search
8:34
when he reentered when country they
8:37
, his phone and eventually
8:39
downloaded all the data there's
8:41
i said she had on there were he's like i'm at
8:44
the hotel right now i'm
8:46
his room such and such as he is he was clearly picking
8:48
up he bag of money he's talking about
8:51
a token that's really com
8:53
and we see that a lot the if i see that on tv
8:55
where you have to people that
8:57
have half of half dollar bill now they made
8:59
his have a dollar on their phone but time you know you
9:01
show me your house and i'll show you mine the match and
9:03
we know that we're supposed to be in the same room together the
9:07
most interesting thing the agents found
9:10
was a fedex shipping label it
9:12
was for an anvil a full of cash admit
9:14
they should send to a guy down in sugarland
9:16
texas funny joshi
9:20
when they pull up sonny's driver's license and photo
9:23
they recognized his face right away the
9:25
seen him and cctv grabs from
9:27
stores in the houston area there
9:30
was a prolific runner but that never
9:32
been able to figure out his name no
9:35
thanks to the shipping label the new just
9:38
who you was chris
9:40
who was based in houston started
9:42
following him
9:44
i would sit down the street and
9:46
his house sat on the end of streets i could sit
9:48
down the street or watch and she would come
9:50
out you've spoken his garage had said garage
9:52
door opening as i was sitting on my my
9:54
car park down the street and is a might come out
9:57
the rain sweet open the garage door and center
10:03
funny joshi is a striking figure
10:06
he weighs nearly four hundred pounds and
10:09
wears glasses one day
10:11
not long after chris started surveilling
10:13
him the traveled to india just
10:16
like with mondays the agents had
10:18
him searched when he flew back to the us
10:21
unlike mothers' patel
10:23
sunny joe she had taken some precautions
10:26
when he came back into the country had wiped his
10:28
phone the probably was aware
10:30
or at least concerned that he might get searched
10:32
how funny haven't covered his tracks
10:35
perfectly which got dave excited
10:37
almost always almost arrow me as contacts
10:39
and we uploaded there is just as one email
10:42
and am a bit very easily get to spend
10:44
that when he turned his phone back on his cell tower
10:46
that are just being yet when he muslim sects
10:49
how's it that one
10:51
email had an attachment
10:55
an excel spreadsheet listing
10:57
dozens of transactions to move the
10:59
money of victims
11:01
based on that one email that one dirty
11:03
email were able get a search warrant for sunday's
11:05
account and those search warrants allows
11:07
us to see the beginning of
11:09
a massive conspiracy in india
11:15
the agents had hoped that sonny's phone would
11:17
lead them to one or two key individuals
11:19
sitting at the top of the criminal organization
11:21
that he worked for
11:23
what they got instead was a lot
11:26
messier but , more
11:28
encourage encourage
11:31
open up that email account and we see on
11:34
thirteen thousand emails and
11:36
so now i'm going through email by
11:38
email and seeing if anything in there in
11:41
there of and
11:43
who evidence that person is
11:45
communicating with and that account where
11:48
there's evidence and you settlers
11:50
side new tag them and as you age and her neck
11:52
source for you age more email accounts
11:55
that they communicated with about
11:57
the conspiracy and so then
11:59
what were the email accounts to to were able
12:02
to get into eventual
12:04
, about forty five
12:06
or forty six more email accounts and about
12:08
four million emails because of that
12:10
one one of the emails
12:13
were pretty run of the mill stuff you'd see
12:15
it any legitimate company communication
12:18
company the tech people that they
12:20
were using to outset the office communication
12:22
with the people they're releasing from anything
12:25
that you would think of this and as standard email
12:27
account associate with any legitimate business
12:29
would be in these email account and then
12:31
there was that there stuff emails
12:34
that laid out the four elements of the
12:36
scamming operation you're
12:38
saying communication of things like scripts
12:41
communication of things like telephone numbers believe
12:43
less the list of people that they were going
12:45
to call or had called the u s
12:47
communication about how much money
12:49
they were making all of it
12:54
in other words the agents had
12:56
hit the mother lode this
12:58
was exactly what they've been hoping to find
13:01
the evidence that could advance the case and
13:04
help convince a jury that the business
13:06
was a massive criminal conspiracy
13:09
to steal from americans these
13:11
emails were the smoking
13:13
gun there was no doubt
13:16
about what was going on the
13:18
scammers were even pumping each other
13:21
take their game to the next level i
13:23
had dial and read an email to me i
13:26
their today's their last friday
13:28
of the month please
13:30
please processes max as you
13:32
can make your customers run
13:35
for m p np stance from my
13:37
back tell them it's
13:39
now or never for the loan and
13:41
is when they were doing some the sake loans
13:44
tell , the cops from the way to arrest you
13:47
get effing money packed right
13:49
now that's make huge money and make
13:51
huge cash thank
13:53
you for your time that
13:56
maybe the most important thing the
13:58
investigators learned from the a mail how
14:01
big and well coordinated the whole thing
14:03
was the scammers had corporate
14:05
guys their crime optimizing
14:08
their processes so that they could
14:10
pray on targets on a huge scale
14:13
the agents had suspected there were multiple
14:15
call centers behind the scam the
14:18
it assumed that the call centers were different
14:20
businesses not connected to one
14:22
another or you know when you first start your like all
14:24
this is his call center this is his colson on the
14:26
says call center dave thought they
14:28
must be rivals but when they start looking
14:30
at emails they would start seeing
14:32
overlaps when they're reviewing the emails
14:34
they would see this call center was communicating with this call centers
14:37
this person over here was sending debit card numbers
14:39
that were active in the field to them
14:42
if one call centers snared a particularly
14:44
lucrative victim they might not have
14:46
enough runners and their network ready to
14:49
move all of that money right then
14:51
so they reach out to their competitor and
14:53
say hey food you got the field near our good i got
14:55
to three hundred of them they're alive right now and
14:57
they would sort is share that victim these
15:00
call centers had figured out it
15:02
was more beneficial to work together
15:04
than to be rivals there was apparently
15:07
no shortage of gullible americans
15:09
to take advantage of
15:11
the this didn't seem to be just about profit
15:14
down remembers one email written
15:17
by one of the higher ups in the scam the
15:19
got to him that said at a certain
15:21
point money is meaningless
15:25
it ceases to be the goal the
15:27
game is what counts that's
15:30
sort of calculates
15:32
what we saw lot of the
15:34
at some point a lot of these guys had
15:37
plenty of money and it it really
15:39
was it didn't even seem about the
15:42
money anymore it really was really sport
15:45
and
15:46
kind of a sickening part of all of it too because we
15:49
were not thinking about the
15:51
people are victimized as apartments
15:55
the agents all of these emails
15:58
and emails that garden for you're not though
16:00
at the nurse staffing company and
16:02
all the other evidence that collected by
16:04
following the money and chasing the runners it
16:07
seem like enough to nailed the entire
16:09
scamming operation
16:11
but
16:11
when dial in and his colleagues went to try
16:14
to get a prosecutor interested
16:16
they realized it was going to be an
16:18
uphill battle hey
16:21
doing , this for fun and
16:24
so i remember sitting
16:26
in these meetings where we showed charts and
16:28
charts of others ,
16:30
million dollars and victim loss in
16:32
your area area there were many
16:34
us attorney's offices who were
16:37
not compelled to prosecute the case
16:39
for various for and
16:42
i can are a few phone conversations
16:45
or dave was really upset and
16:48
down the just said
16:50
he did , wanna prosecute
16:52
the case and and you know
16:55
dave was fight and mad and
16:57
down you know it
17:00
it doesn't matter will go somewhere else you
17:02
know what the case you know it makes his manhood
17:05
we're going to go somewhere where it's gonna be prosecuted this
17:09
is a little bit like you
17:11
know a journalist with the story of
17:14
, to us all the time where where
17:16
have a bitch we know it's a great story
17:19
great editor of for editor
17:21
says minutes not
17:23
says enough it's not clear enough
17:25
you don't have all the goods yes
17:28
it's one of the things
17:30
with federal investigation sometimes thing
17:32
it too big they get and will the like
17:34
this
17:36
and you know
17:38
it really really
17:40
can
17:41
okay
17:44
more after
17:46
the break
17:49
the remains
17:51
of for young women were found all murder
17:53
victim
17:54
miller is famous for his ability to
17:56
locate missing children the tin spent every
17:58
day for the past
17:59
the years trying to figure out what have
18:01
and to his own daughter he has ever
18:10
the county and journalists and recently licensed
18:12
private investigator i shadowed him as
18:14
he put together evidence against the man implied
18:16
hedrick that convicted killer just really some friends
18:21
during the investigation i searched
18:23
the think that ten might not be the hero mean
18:26
else
18:26
i in danger
18:28
and it becomes increasingly clear that will do anything
18:30
to get what he wants
18:31
would turn it off as an excavation the past
18:34
discerning to present has thriller one
18:36
in which i feared for my life
18:37
the know exactly where she lives of their quota
18:39
phone numbers every damn day
18:41
from cast media this is vigilantes
18:43
coming may twenty third
18:44
the that your podcast regular story that
18:47
i've found my daughter's murderer
18:50
on august twenty cents on the most brutal
18:53
fishes surfing this have
18:55
been the most anticipated original
18:57
series is here you
18:59
, know tyson tyson weeks
19:02
every of the world young rich and black but
19:04
you know my minute you get too big
19:06
big gonna cut you down starring travon t
19:09
ross a my life and
19:11
harvey keitel harvey what
19:13
is this really
19:16
an ass of i might soon
19:18
from your august twenty cents on the on who
19:20
little
19:24
you're listening to chameleon on capsized
19:26
media
19:27
which prosecutor was going to take the
19:29
case dave dial in and chris had built
19:32
was anyone
19:34
for a while it was an open question
19:36
then the guys who
19:38
gave a shit crossed paths with just
19:40
the right person and just the right position
19:42
to run with
19:44
i'm hope olds i'm currently the acting
19:46
chief of the human rights and sessa prosecution
19:48
sex and with the criminal division
19:50
of the department of justice
19:53
hope old is a career prosecutor
19:55
he has acquired resolute
19:58
air about her exuding
19:59
friends while being polite
20:02
who served in the manhattan district attorney's
20:04
office and did a stint as an assistant
20:07
us attorney new jersey before starting
20:09
her current job hope
20:11
it already worked on several international
20:13
cases those the kind of lawyer
20:16
who would understand what the investigators
20:18
were trying to do the when she heard
20:20
about it in two thousand and fourteen
20:23
he sat down with the agents to learn
20:25
more
20:26
the crime that was
20:28
outlined to me was
20:30
appearance but quite
20:32
frankly the first thing i thought
20:34
was the
20:35
these were
20:36
fabulous agents like the the
20:38
agents that i met with had they not been
20:41
as articulate as clearly
20:43
hard working and diligence i
20:46
would not has taken at or been entrusted
20:48
this case needed to be brought in a in a broadway
20:52
and without really talented asians
20:55
it would never have and brought it all
20:57
that cope meant casting
21:00
a wide net to go after the entire
21:02
conspiracy
21:03
not going after just a couple of criminals
21:05
at one place doing one thing not
21:08
playing like a mall
21:09
the meeting
21:10
they've had taken the lead
21:12
with the ones that really
21:15
open the conversation up and
21:17
laid out what they knew at the time and of course with the
21:19
new at the time was still just
21:21
you know he percent compared to what we
21:23
ended up getting shields by
21:25
he was able to tell this story about victimization
21:29
the potential number of people out there
21:31
that had been victimized and central the
21:33
perpetrators these a quite compelling
21:35
story teller he also remembers
21:37
a lot of odd facts that helps to tell the
21:40
stories
21:41
hope had the ability to make things happen
21:44
for the agents she was the main
21:46
justice meaning d o j headquarters
21:48
in washington d c she could
21:50
get us attorney's from different parts of
21:52
the country to work together on the case she
21:55
also brought in another prosecutor
21:57
from main justice the guy named
21:59
mike
21:59
the shekels
22:01
i'm going to be earlier buttoned up
22:03
the edge a suit mike's underselling
22:06
himself here which is typical
22:08
the humble guy but he was the one
22:10
who really helped break down the walls for
22:12
me to interview dave christened dial
22:15
the helped me understand the case from a big
22:17
picture perspective
22:19
including why he realized immediately
22:22
that was going to be really tough to prosecute
22:24
that's one of the reasons that took many years because
22:27
the scammers are good at their jobs they
22:29
design third scan from schemes
22:32
and such a way that you know it's sort of makes
22:34
it difficult that one night
22:36
and hope rolled up their sleeves and dug into
22:38
everything daves chris and dial and had
22:40
put together the smelled
22:42
blood what made
22:45
you think that this case was prosecutable
22:48
you know like what we're gonna need in
22:50
terms of evidence to really make
22:53
this work well the thing that made it work
22:55
was where the emails
22:56
the mean that's the thing that got us into
22:59
the case it out this
23:01
realized the scope of the crime
23:03
and helped us identify the the perpetrators
23:05
were so i think without the emails
23:08
be would have a would
23:10
we have even been able to go after anyone
23:13
my spot when he started to read those emails
23:15
was i want to get these guys
23:19
there , very very
23:21
enthused that they were they advantage
23:24
of people in this way and ripping people off and
23:27
when when i think agents or prosecutors with
23:29
stephen curry but they took
23:31
of victimizing us people it's
23:33
sort of like with this sort of good reason why this
23:35
we're spending more time on this is because
23:37
we do need a hold them accountable the
23:41
impunity of the scammers was all
23:44
inspiring and there was like facebook
23:46
posts and i think we're publicly available
23:48
that would so fancy cars and
23:51
leverage get togethers and you know
23:53
what the call center would look like
23:55
they're operating they're though
23:58
there's a certain aspect of they were
23:59
shy about telling what they're doing because
24:02
i think probably , good reasons
24:04
i figured there would never be any
24:06
ability it's it was too complicated
24:08
and too hard hard puts
24:10
prosecutors investigators withstand the time
24:13
to figure it figure with the u
24:15
s really come after people and
24:17
all the way as or
24:19
motivators for sir
24:23
mike and hope could anticipate the
24:25
arguments that the scammers would make to defend
24:27
themselves everyone could claim
24:29
plausible deniability say
24:31
they were just following orders that
24:34
they had no idea this was a scam
24:36
for instance callers could try to
24:38
say hey we thought we were working
24:41
for the iris or immigration services
24:43
plenty of perfectly legitimate call centers
24:46
in india do work for us organizations
24:49
we just thought this was another one the
24:51
my can hope had a way to blow
24:53
up those claims
24:55
what was in your view the
24:57
strongest evidence that
24:59
you could use if the case went to
25:01
trial the script that
25:03
he seems is probably one of our strongest
25:06
evidence because it's so blatantly shown
25:08
their intent to defraud even and
25:10
some of the scraps talked about the
25:13
person they called thing assessments
25:15
are the plan and then themselves
25:17
the calling the closer and
25:20
talking
25:20
literally scratch for the closer
25:22
and the customer so the idea being
25:24
lectured i can stop until you actually have money
25:27
in your hand so i think that think
25:29
that probably one of the strongest
25:31
and would speak to any jury
25:34
what i found remarkable about these scripts
25:36
words a subtle tricks used in
25:38
them to come across as genuine like
25:41
a scam color rattling off his badge
25:43
id number at the beginning of the com i'm
25:45
asking the victim to scribble down the
25:47
case number
25:49
it was infuriating to see in in one
25:51
of the things to as , sort
25:53
of a progression in the level of sophistication
25:56
with a script from early in the scheme to
25:59
you know years later they're
26:01
they're learning from what works and
26:03
what doesn't though it was some
26:06
yeah i mean it was made people
26:08
frankly stuff
26:11
that's illegal to
26:24
you're listening to scam likely more
26:26
after this
26:30
the story starts with a drug bust in
26:39
a county run by sheriff's office to cast
26:41
a long shadow and been dealing
26:43
with a mom last he said of i come
26:46
up mason gonna lie up and do
26:48
when authority said investigation is over
26:50
sometimes you have to play by a different set of rules
26:53
he said why your
26:55
has members saw it you've got this
26:57
the wrong witnessed friendly fire
26:59
available now subscribe on
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or listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts
27:09
that nicole is back you
27:11
might remember me mariah smith
27:13
didn't into racism the real
27:15
world and tribalism on survivor
27:18
for our third season where they said
27:20
seen a messy obsession
27:22
with through why
27:25
do we fall asleep suzie allies
27:27
or can't get enough of said bundy
27:29
documentaries from documentaries on
27:31
hum media and sony music entertaining
27:33
subscribe to spectacle
27:36
true crime
27:39
you're listening to chameleon some
27:41
capsize media
27:43
one of the biggest questions in a long
27:45
and sprawling investigation with multiple
27:47
threads like this one is when
27:50
to go in for the kill
27:52
by late two thousand and fourteen the
27:54
case had been dubbed operation
27:56
outsource in addition
27:59
to dave chris
27:59
the island
28:00
the were agents from the treasury inspector general's
28:03
for tax administration the us secret
28:05
service varies state and city
28:07
police department officials all
28:10
lending support to the case
28:12
hope could see that every new tidbit
28:14
of information dug up by the investigation
28:17
was helping to fill out the picture but
28:19
at some point you have to finish
28:21
the investigation we could probably still
28:23
be investigating right now but
28:26
if we wanted to prevent
28:28
further victimization we needed to do
28:30
something and central we had
28:33
and actually move forward with forward with
28:35
when i will say that were
28:37
there were a couple of moments where we
28:40
could have gone in different directions
28:44
one of those moments was when
28:46
a suspect in the case traveled from
28:48
india to the united states and was
28:50
picked up by police in california on
28:52
charges of using fake id is thailand
28:55
, dave believed this person could
28:57
be an important player in the scam scam
29:00
they might not have another opportunity to
29:02
arrest someone this hi i'm from i'm
29:05
the agents were eager to take him into federal
29:07
custody sarah's one of our
29:09
indian target
29:11
he was in the united states and it
29:13
was earlier in the investigation and
29:15
he has he came the lights there
29:17
must have a financial transaction that had occurred
29:19
and the agents really wanted to arrest
29:22
him but the amount of evidence we
29:24
had on him was was fairly
29:26
small as queen and
29:28
it would have alerted the
29:31
, of the network to the fact that we
29:34
were on to what was happening here
29:36
onto the schemes
29:37
and i didn't want to risk that and so that
29:39
was not a that was not a moment that
29:41
we agreed it's and items
29:44
are not the arrest that individual and he returned
29:46
and yes and we still don't have them
29:48
in retrospect hoban so
29:50
sure that was the right call
29:52
maybe that was the right moment or maybe that wasn't
29:54
the right moment if we have they had arrested him
29:57
and he had cooperated
29:59
in
29:59
the broken open the case and a different ways
30:02
but as he hadn't and a bit immediate release
30:04
and then everyone knew this change their phones
30:06
their emails or to eat we would
30:08
not than the rest of the network
30:11
hopes a good lawyers so she tends to be
30:13
careful when she talks but i
30:15
knew who the suspect was that she was
30:17
talking about i think you're probably referring
30:19
to read ball shaw one
30:23
piece is , that
30:25
see how the hell up on the details here
30:27
to somebody else
30:29
it's like another confirm nor deny
30:31
are you referring to but even though hope
30:33
and might believe drugs basra was
30:35
an important figure in the scam the
30:38
wasn't of the top of the pyramid from
30:40
emails the investigators have been studying
30:43
the begun to glean the organizational
30:45
structure of the call centers in india
30:48
be gained more insight into who the masterminds
30:50
were two ,
30:53
emerged at the top top
30:55
first was solder was
30:58
known to his friends and associates friends
31:01
,
31:04
shaggy was the investigators
31:06
believed the phantom of the scam
31:09
although you was still in his
31:11
early twenties it achieved cult
31:13
status in the industry he was
31:15
the guy with bodyguards who looked
31:17
rich who was running the call center where poem
31:20
enjoys worked the young guys
31:22
we met in mumbai in episode three you
31:24
started from the bottom working as a
31:26
color just like bowen and giants chris
31:29
was studying shaggy from afar
31:32
and even he was impressed he
31:34
was quickly through the ranks and
31:37
became a very sought
31:39
after die were sought after
31:41
closer or sought after payment
31:43
processor he was able to develop
31:45
networks of runners in the us her easily because
31:47
of his english language skills and
31:49
ultimately managed to number of cruise
31:52
in the us who liquidated it's
31:55
on to have to call centers we believe
31:57
he by the time we reach
31:59
who and we're wrapping investigation and
32:02
and get agree to indict we
32:04
, that he had steps
32:06
into a role and on his own
32:08
running his own call centers
32:12
sag is facility with the english
32:14
language was only part of the reason
32:16
for his rise a bigger reason
32:19
was his knack for strategizing and
32:21
his talent for innovation chris
32:24
had seen evidence that shaggy had gotten
32:26
the runners to experiment with different gift
32:28
cards to make the money trail harder
32:31
to follow it seemed that
32:33
shaggy also kept changing how phone
32:35
calls were made trying out different
32:37
software to ralph the calls over the
32:39
internet
32:40
by the time the agents would figure out what
32:43
was going on shaggy would
32:45
already be two steps ahead he
32:47
was also charismatic personality
32:49
a born showman savages showman
32:52
me a picture is the out a that the shaggy
32:54
bought from the captain of captain indian
32:57
cricket team is like one is like hand
32:59
in the world or something like that this out he a fourth
33:02
the i usually use iraq he was leave his
33:04
living flashy as a lot of money
33:06
i can tell you that the amount to or that
33:08
are how that would translate that he was he was doing quite
33:10
well well enough to be opening up call
33:13
centers and the know buying expensive
33:15
supercars from probably the most popular
33:17
athletes india
33:20
gruesome the other investigators believe
33:22
that shaggy was on his way to becoming
33:24
the kingpin of the industry
33:26
what he wasn't there yet the appear
33:29
to be working on plans to open up his own
33:31
call centers but in the meantime
33:34
he was a contractor for an influential
33:36
call center better than one of the pioneers
33:38
of the business
33:40
he came out of the a global networks
33:42
who is affiliated with them most strongly
33:45
she appears to have been operating independently
33:47
but it's certainly has strong connections
33:50
to buy a squabble it's
33:53
global was the center of the scam
33:56
the agents believed it had more collars
33:58
and runners working directly it than
34:00
any of the other call center networks fancy
34:04
and if this patel
34:05
was he affiliated to a different
34:07
call center it has patel was the
34:10
head as a squat h global
34:12
that's why h from a h for
34:14
had dash yeah this
34:16
patel
34:17
the other big name the investigators
34:20
had come up with
34:21
for chris davis dial and if
34:23
this was even bigger than shaggy
34:25
he was target number one the
34:28
if if gonna call somebody that been in the
34:30
head of the cartel that kingpin the
34:32
el chapo was in of iris
34:34
scamming it would be his hirsch
34:37
like any troppo it is she
34:39
came from a modest background the
34:41
wasn't conversant in english the
34:43
had a quiet understated style
34:46
he leaned on people like shaggy for technological
34:48
and business expertise that
34:51
he could provide what others couldn't
34:53
there's time
34:55
he didn't get involved in the ,
34:57
logistics day to day operational
35:00
things things he but and
35:03
gujarat definitely illegal ran
35:06
and hid test could provide liquor to
35:08
anyone and everyone so there
35:11
was one of the things the did decrease the skids
35:14
they knew all the right people
35:17
he knew how power work
35:19
he was a people person he had on
35:22
a used car lot in that used
35:24
car lot doubled as an after hours party spots
35:27
on he would put on elaborate dinners and
35:29
entertain ah public officials
35:31
and police
35:33
ever since hope and my could
35:35
started supervising the case the
35:37
investigators had been compiling more
35:39
and more evidence it was
35:41
painstaking work an endless
35:44
chain of email subpoenas
35:46
combing through hundreds of thousands of emails
35:49
slow going and tedious investigative
35:51
steps finally
35:54
after two years by the middle of two thousand
35:56
and sixteen a lot of the evidence
35:58
was in place the question
36:00
was who to indict this
36:04
sagging sunny joshi monday's patel
36:07
these were the obvious targets but
36:10
there were a lot of others and
36:12
the prosecutors knew it would dilute
36:14
the case to go after every single
36:16
person caught in the net
36:20
we had numerous me
36:21
with the entire team
36:23
and going through each
36:26
of our potential target son
36:28
there are many more targets than sixty one
36:31
when we start as and
36:33
essentially
36:35
on i had to discuss what evidence we had
36:37
each percent and
36:40
if they didn't the certain threshold they
36:42
were
36:43
they were on the cutting room floor and some
36:45
people to the states wish
36:47
that certain ones had been included in the indictment
36:51
hope was leading the team that was drafting
36:53
the indictment together
36:55
with my shekels a d o j and
36:58
with the help of to assistant us attorneys
37:00
in houston she work to make
37:02
sure every i was dot it
37:04
and every t crossed painstakingly
37:07
went through each
37:08
then it and which items we want to do
37:10
include in the indictments
37:12
as well as how to talk about the broad
37:14
scope of the conspiracy in
37:16
the network and the scheme
37:19
there were close to the finish line
37:21
we prevented it to the grand jury grand
37:23
jury indicted and it was just a matter of
37:25
scheduling them or take down
37:28
but it turned out hope and the agents
37:30
weren't the only ones gearing up to
37:32
take down the scam call center network
37:36
you can imagine a dusting seven
37:38
hundred people at the same dame
37:40
we had to keep them with us
37:43
then
37:44
the really busy fluid and people and
37:47
doesn't have to keep him
37:50
the
37:52
that's next time on scam
37:54
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