Operation Discovery 3.0: four Dominicans to be extradited to U.S.

Santo Domingo.- Four Dominicans arrested in Operation Discovery 3.0 have voluntarily agreed to be extradited to the United States, where they face charges linked to the so-called “US Grandparents Scam.” The network allegedly defrauded senior citizens using digital platforms to commit computer fraud, steal personal data, impersonate victims, and launder money.

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Those agreeing to extradition are Oscar Manuel Castaños García, Joel José Cruz Rodríguez, Joel Francisco Mathilda León, and Edward José Puello, who remain in custody under orders from the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court of Justice. Meanwhile, the extradition of Gerardo Heriberto Núñez Núñez, still in pretrial detention in Santiago, is pending.

The operation was carried out through cooperation between the Public Ministry and international agencies, including the FBI, which conducted simultaneous raids in several U.S. states and arrested at least ten people tied to the scheme. In the Dominican Republic, prosecutors have requested preventive detention for six additional defendants in Santiago and declared the case complex, with a hearing scheduled for August 20.