Executive Summary
- Peruvian national David Cornejo Fernandez was sentenced to 80 months in prison and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution for his pivotal role in transnational fraud schemes.
- Cornejo provided essential technical infrastructure, including caller-ID spoofing and call recording, to fraudulent call centers in Peru that impersonated federal agents to extort payments from Spanish-speaking victims for unrequested products.
- His sentencing is part of a larger investigation that has led to 13 convictions, including nine extraditions from Peru, for schemes that collectively defrauded over 30,000 U.S. consumers, with ongoing efforts to prosecute similar cases.
Laws and Precedent
- The defendant was sentenced in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, which are serious offenses under U.S. law targeting schemes that use mail or electronic communications to defraud. His prosecution was enabled by his extradition from Peru, underscoring the international legal cooperation involved in bringing individuals to justice for transnational fraud schemes that target U.S. consumers.
A Peruvian national was sentenced yesterday to 80 months in prison and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution for his pivotal role in transnational fraud schemes that victimized thousands of Spanish-speaking consumers across the U.S. David Cornejo Fernandez, 36, of Lima, Peru, received his sentence in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, following his extradition from Peru in November 2024 and a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July.
The Deception Scheme
Cornejo provided essential technical infrastructure to a network of fraudulent call centers operating from Peru. This included Internet-based telephone lines, caller-ID spoofing services, and call recording capabilities. These services enabled call center operators to convincingly impersonate federal agents, police officers, attorneys, and court personnel.
The fraudsters used these tools to place unsolicited calls to vulnerable Spanish-speaking victims in the U.S., falsely threatening them with court proceedings, fines, and other severe legal and financial consequences. The threats were designed to extort payments for English-language products that victims never requested or received.
Cornejo also supplied pre-recorded messages that were played on the fraudulent telephone lines, further convincing victims they had reached legitimate U.S. courts, police departments, and federal agencies. When specific phone numbers were flagged as fraudulent, Cornejo would provide new lines and numbers, allowing the scheme to continue unimpeded.
Impact and Broader Conspiracy
The fraudulent activities facilitated by Cornejo resulted in more than $3 million in losses for over 8,800 victims nationwide. His sentencing marks a significant development in a larger investigation into these transnational fraud operations.
To date, 13 defendants have been convicted and sentenced in connection with these schemes. These include eight Peruvian call center owner-operators, four U.S.-based distribution center owner-operators who processed payments, and Cornejo, who served as a key facilitator from Peru. Collectively, these individuals defrauded over 30,000 U.S. consumers.
Previous Convictions and Enforcement Efforts
Cornejo is the ninth defendant to be extradited from Peru and sentenced in federal court for involvement in these English language learning scams. Prior convictions secured by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. in 2021 and 2022 include Henrry Milla, Carlos Espinoza, Jerson Renteria, Fernan Huerta, Omar Cuzcano, Evelyng Milla, and Josmell Espinoza, who received sentences ranging from 88 to 110 months in prison. In 2024, U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano to 98 months.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch investigated the case. Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice of the Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda handling asset forfeiture for the Southern District of Florida. Critical assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Peruvian law enforcement authorities.
Ongoing Investigations
The Justice Department continues its efforts to investigate and prosecute similar cases involving threats against Spanish-speaking residents in the U.S., underscoring a commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations that prey on vulnerable populations.
