According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a Cleveland man originally from the Dominican Republic is facing federal charges for allegedly swindling tens of thousands of dollars from elderly people in Western Pennsylvania, a fraud that victimized at least five people between October 2024 and January 2025.
Luis Alfonso Bisono Rodriguez, 34, was charged with five charges of grandparent fraud, in which scammers impersonated grandkids in desperate need of money. Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti told the press that Rodriguez, who had already been arrested since last week, was part of a network that stretched throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio. Federal authorities suspect that there are additional victims in many states who have yet to come forward. They want anyone with knowledge to contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez met with Lyft and Uber drivers in numerous locations throughout Northern Ohio to recover money allegedly obtained from grandparents. These actions, captured on surveillance video, enabled Rodriguez to wire the ill-gotten earnings back to the Dominican Republic or deposit them into bank accounts.
The FBI, in collaboration with multiple police departments in Pennsylvania and Ohio, led the investigation that resulted in this indictment; Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is handling prosecution for a case that spans both small-town and urban landscapes, with agencies such as the Millcreek Township and Parma Police Departments involved.