TechFlow news, on June 18, according to an official announcement, Nicaraguan citizen Ernesto Ortega Padgett has been extradited from Spain to Miami, United States, facing 27 federal charges including wire fraud, extortion, and money laundering. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ortega's criminal scheme, which began in 2020, caused losses exceeding $29 million to victims across the United States.
Prosecutors allege that Ortega and his accomplices impersonated bank representatives and used technical means and social engineering to deceive victims into disclosing sensitive account information, then conducted unauthorized wire transfers and moved the funds through international money laundering networks, with some proceeds deposited into accounts under his control in the form of cryptocurrency.
Ortega was wanted by the United States, Spain, and Panama, and was arrested in Paris in December 2023. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
