DOJ Elder Fraud Prosecutions Tracker
This page tracks federal elder fraud prosecutions reported by the U.S. Department of Justice from Aug 22, 2025 through May 15, 2026. Every entry links to the original DOJ press release. Real consequences are happening — seniors who think “nothing ever happens to scammers” should look at this list.
A note on privacy. We do not republish individual names of defendants or victims, even when they appear in the DOJ press releases. Each row links to the original DOJ source if you want the full case detail. The point of this tracker is the pattern — what schemes are being prosecuted, where, and with what outcomes.
Journalists: this tracker is also available as a downloadable CSV on our press resource page.
At a glance
- 56 federal elder fraud cases tracked
- 20 sentenced or convicted at trial
- 12 pleaded guilty
- Cases reported from 27 U.S. Attorney’s Districts
- Total losses reported across cases (where amount disclosed): $257.5M
- Largest single case: $65.0M
Case outcomes
Of the 56 cases tracked, here is the breakdown by outcome reported in the DOJ press release.
- Sentenced: 16
- Pleaded guilty: 12
- Other action: 7
- Charged: 6
- Admitted guilt: 4
- Convicted at trial: 4
- Indicted: 2
- Extradited to U.S.: 2
- Arrested: 2
- Assets forfeited: 1
Scheme types prosecuted
The most-prosecuted scheme categories in our tracked period. Click through to our pillar page on each scam type to learn how it works and how to avoid it.
- Elder Fraud (general): 32 cases
- Sweepstakes / Lottery Scam: 5 cases
- Money Laundering: 5 cases
- Romance Scam: 3 cases
- Wire Fraud: 3 cases
- Gold Bar Scam: 3 cases
- Investment Scam: 2 cases
- Disability Fraud: 1 case
- Social Security Impersonation: 1 case
- Tech Support Scam: 1 case
- Identity Theft: 1 case
- Government / Law Enforcement Impersonation: 1 case
- Cryptocurrency Scam: 1 case
- Telemarketing Scam: 1 case
- Phantom Hacker Scam: 1 case
Most active U.S. Attorney’s Districts
Top federal districts by elder fraud case volume in the tracked period.
- Southern District of California: 8 cases
- Eastern District of Missouri: 7 cases
- District of Rhode Island: 5 cases
- Northern District of Ohio: 4 cases
- District of Massachusetts: 3 cases
- District of Arizona: 2 cases
- Northern District of Florida: 2 cases
- Western District of Washington: 2 cases
- District of Connecticut: 2 cases
- Western District of Pennsylvania: 2 cases
Full case list
Every federal elder fraud prosecution tracked, most recent first. Click “DOJ release” in any row to see the original Department of Justice announcement.
| Date | Scheme | Outcome | Sentence | Loss | District | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Other action | — | — | District of Arizona | DOJ release |
| May 14, 2026 | Romance Scam | Indicted | — | — | Northern District of Ohio | DOJ release |
| May 9, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | — | $27.0M | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| May 8, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Pleaded guilty | — | $48.0M | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| May 6, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Admitted guilt | — | $125K | District of Rhode Island | DOJ release |
| May 4, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | 10 years | $1.8M | Central District of California | DOJ release |
| Apr 29, 2026 | Romance Scam, Wire Fraud | Charged | — | — | District of Rhode Island | DOJ release |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Convicted at trial | — | — | District of Arizona | DOJ release |
| Apr 9, 2026 | Disability Fraud | Other action | — | — | Eastern District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Pleaded guilty | — | $27.0M | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Gold Bar Scam | Other action | — | — | Eastern District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Pleaded guilty | — | — | Northern District of Florida | DOJ release |
| Mar 25, 2026 | Sweepstakes / Lottery Scam, Money Laundering | Admitted guilt | — | $2.0M | Eastern District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Mar 25, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Pleaded guilty | — | — | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| Mar 18, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Extradited to U.S. | — | — | District of Massachusetts | DOJ release |
| Mar 17, 2026 | Investment Scam | Pleaded guilty | — | $10.0M | Northern District of Georgia | DOJ release |
| Mar 12, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | — | — | Eastern District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Mar 11, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | 30 months | — | Western District of Washington | DOJ release |
| Mar 10, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Admitted guilt | — | — | District of Connecticut | DOJ release |
| Mar 7, 2026 | Social Security Impersonation | Other action | — | — | Eastern District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Feb 27, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Other action | — | — | Southern District of Texas | DOJ release |
| Feb 24, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | 8 years | — | Southern District of Ohio | DOJ release |
| Feb 18, 2026 | Tech Support Scam | Sentenced | — | — | Western District of North Carolina | DOJ release |
| Feb 13, 2026 | Sweepstakes / Lottery Scam, Wire Fraud | Pleaded guilty | — | — | Western District of Washington | DOJ release |
| Feb 12, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Pleaded guilty | — | — | District of Rhode Island | DOJ release |
| Feb 12, 2026 | Sweepstakes / Lottery Scam | Charged | — | — | District of Connecticut | DOJ release |
| Feb 10, 2026 | Identity Theft | Convicted at trial | — | — | Northern District of Ohio | DOJ release |
| Feb 3, 2026 | Money Laundering | Pleaded guilty | — | — | Western District of Pennsylvania | DOJ release |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | 5 years | — | District of South Dakota | DOJ release |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Pleaded guilty | — | — | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| Jan 26, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | 18 years | — | Northern District of Florida | DOJ release |
| Jan 20, 2026 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | — | — | District of New Jersey | DOJ release |
| Jan 16, 2026 | Money Laundering | Pleaded guilty | — | $42.0M | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| Jan 15, 2026 | Sweepstakes / Lottery Scam | Pleaded guilty | — | — | District of Rhode Island | DOJ release |
| Jan 14, 2026 | Government / Law Enforcement Impersonation | Sentenced | — | — | Eastern District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Jan 8, 2026 | Sweepstakes / Lottery Scam | Sentenced | — | — | Southern District of New York | DOJ release |
| Dec 18, 2025 | Cryptocurrency Scam | Assets forfeited | — | $200K | Middle District of Louisiana | DOJ release |
| Dec 11, 2025 | Romance Scam | Charged | — | $8.0M | Northern District of Ohio | DOJ release |
| Dec 5, 2025 | Money Laundering, Wire Fraud | Indicted | — | $26.0M | Western District of Pennsylvania | DOJ release |
| Dec 1, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | — | — | Northern District of Oklahoma | DOJ release |
| Nov 25, 2025 | Gold Bar Scam | Pleaded guilty | — | — | Western District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Nov 24, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Charged | — | — | District of Rhode Island | DOJ release |
| Nov 19, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Convicted at trial | — | — | District of South Dakota | DOJ release |
| Nov 13, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Extradited to U.S. | — | — | District of Massachusetts | DOJ release |
| Nov 13, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | — | — | Western District of Texas | DOJ release |
| Oct 22, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Arrested | — | — | Eastern District of California | DOJ release |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Admitted guilt | — | — | Eastern District of Missouri | DOJ release |
| Sep 16, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Arrested | — | — | Western District of New York | DOJ release |
| Sep 13, 2025 | Telemarketing Scam | Convicted at trial | — | — | Eastern District of New York | DOJ release |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Phantom Hacker Scam, Money Laundering | Sentenced | — | — | Northern District of Ohio | DOJ release |
| Sep 11, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | 10 years | — | Eastern District of Texas | DOJ release |
| Sep 4, 2025 | Gold Bar Scam | Other action | — | — | Western District of Kentucky | DOJ release |
| Aug 29, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Charged | — | $330K | District of Massachusetts | DOJ release |
| Aug 28, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Other action | — | $65.0M | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| Aug 23, 2025 | Elder Fraud (general) | Sentenced | 24 months | — | Southern District of California | DOJ release |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Investment Scam | Charged | — | — | Southern District of New York | DOJ release |
How this tracker is built
We monitor U.S. Department of Justice press releases from U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. When a release covers an elder-fraud case — charges, indictment, plea, sentencing, conviction, or asset forfeiture — we add a row to this tracker.
Every row links back to the original DOJ press release. We do not republish defendant or victim names. The scheme type, sentence length, total loss, and U.S. Attorney’s District are taken from the DOJ release itself. If a DOJ release does not state a dollar amount or sentence, we leave that cell as “—” rather than estimate.
Where DOJ press releases identify defendants by national origin, we preserve that language for fidelity to the source. Elder fraud is operated from many countries; our press resource documents the full multi-country picture.
Note: federal elder fraud cases are also investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and other agencies. This tracker covers only what is announced via DOJ press releases — the Secret Service publishes its own Elder Fraud Advisory with additional case information.
This tracker is updated monthly from our news monitoring system.
If a senior in your life has been scammed
The fact that the DOJ regularly brings federal charges against scammers is the strongest argument for always reporting. Reports are how prosecutors build cases. If you or someone you love has been scammed, start with our First 24 Hours emergency guide and then file a report.
- FBI IC3: ic3.gov — federal complaint center for internet-related fraud
- FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov — for any kind of scam, even if no money was lost
- DOJ Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311) — for victims 60 and older
- Your state Attorney General’s consumer protection office
See also: Real cases where senior scam victims got their money back.