Investigators: Man posed as grandkids, stole money from NH elders

By Breanna Edelstein

CONCORD, NH — A New Jersey man faces a long prison sentence after being indicted for his involvement in what investigators called a “grandparent scheme,” in which local elderly residents handed over money after receiving phone calls that their grandkids were in trouble.

Elvis Guzman, 43, of Paterson, New Jersey, has been indicted for targeting New Hampshire residents and traveling around the state to aid in the thefts, investigators said.

Court records show Guzman has been indicted for two felony counts of conspiracy to commit theft by deception, a felony count of theft by deception as principal/accomplice, and another felony for receiving stolen property.

One of the indictments says that in 2020, Guzman conspired with other people to steal cash from 11 elderly victims across the state, including in Londonderry and Hampstead.

Guzman and others allegedly called victims and falsely stated that their grandchildren were arrested, or posed as the grandchildren and said they were under a “gag order” prohibiting them from sharing any details about the arrest.

Guzman and his co-conspirators are accused of stealing more than $100,000 from New Hampshire victims over a four-day span.

Records show that Guzman was arrested by Londonderry police on Nov. 6, 2020, after taking cash from a victim there.

The maximum penalty on each charge Guzman faces is 7 ½ to 15 years in New Hampshire state prison and a $4,000 fine. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Rockingham Superior Court on May 25.

Investigator Calice Couchman-Ducey of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau investigated the case with help from the New Hampshire State Police and police departments in the following communities: Londonderry, Keene, Concord, Newfields, Manchester, Hampstead, Newington, Franconia, Epping and Nashua.

The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security also provided assistance.

Assistant Attorney General Bryan Townsend II of the Attorney General's Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit is prosecuting the case.

Anyone who knows about the victimization of elders, including abuse or financial exploitation, is encouraged to contact local police or the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services at 1-800-949-0470.

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Investigators: Man posed as grandkids, stole money from NH elders

Two Plattsburgh women sentenced in grandparent scheme

PLATTSBURGH — Two Plattsburgh women were recently sentenced in federal court for participating in a scheme to defraud elderly victims.

Naromie Joseph, 29, and Christie Joseph, 25, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for their roles in a grandparent scheme, according to a Department of Justice press release.

People would contact the elderly victims, telling them that their grandchildren and other relatives needed money for bail and other purposes.

Since they believed their loved ones needed help, the victims sent the money to various addresses in Plattsburgh that the Josephs arranged to use for the scam, the release said.

TIME SERVED, RESTITUTION

The Public Access to Court Electronic Records website also lists four counts of mail fraud on their indictment.

Naromie was sentenced Monday to time served — she spent about 13 months in custody awaiting the disposition of her case — and three years of supervised release.

She must also pay $27,200 in restitution to the victims, the release said.

On May 10, Christie was sentenced to four months of weekends in jail, three years of supervised release and payment of restitution. (Continue Reading)

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Two Plattsburgh women sentenced in grandparent scheme