FBI Seeks Public Assistance in Locating Robert T. Rodriguez, Wanted on Federal Criminal Charges
| FBI New York September 26, 2013 |
Update: Robert T. Rodriguez surrendered to authorities on September 27, 2013.
FBI agents are looking for the public’s assistance in locating Robert T. Rodriguez. He has federal criminal charges against him from an investigation by FBI San Diego. Rodriguez was last known to be in the Suffolk County area on Long Island. He is believed to have family in Patchogue area of Long Island.
Rodriguez, pictured below, is 26 years old, 5’8” tall, and approximately 160 pounds. He has hazel eyes and is bald. He has a tattoo on his left forearm.
Rodriguez has ties to a Eurasian criminal organization that allegedly conducted a multi-million-dollar tax fraud. Rodriguez is one of 18 charged in a cross-country case. The charges against him include defrauding a financial institution. He is not considered to be violent in nature.
An indictment is out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Rodriguez and his co-conspirators allegedly opened seed accounts under fictitious business at national banks and then funded a bust-out account at Bank of America (BoA) with funds from the seed accounts. They allegedly transferred funds between the accounts to induce BoA to reduce the length of hold placed on funds. With that, the co-conspirators wrote bad checks from the seed accounts to deposit in the bust-out account and withdrew the funds before the bank within minutes or hours after BoA lifted the hold on the check but before determining the issuing account had insufficient funds. They co-conspirators fraudulently withdrew the money at ATMS or at branch locations. Using more than 60 bust-out accounts, the co-conspirators defrauded BoA of more than $680,000.
Anyone with information as to the whereabouts to Rodriguez is urged to contact law enforcement immediately. The FBI can be reached 24 hours a day at 212-384-1000.
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