Eight Individuals Indicted and Arrested for Mail, Wire, and Bank Fraud Conspiracy, and Aggravated Identity Theft

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On June 12, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment charging eight individuals with conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The following agencies partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate the case and execute the arrests today: U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Social Security Administration (SSA), Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), Guaynabo Municipal Police, San Juan Municipal Police, and Bayamón Municipal Police.

According to court documents, defendants

1. Enrique K. Falcón-López, a.k.a. “Gordo/Náutica”
2. Luis Pagán-Torres, a.k.a. “Luiso”
3. Francisco Martínez-Mendoza, a.k.a. “Pito”
4. Dennis H. Ditran, a.k.a. “Dennis H. Ditran Phillips/Dennis Ditren”
5. Tomás Bermúdez-Monroig
6. Iván González-Costa
7. Jesús M. Cruz-Martínez, a.k.a. “Chobi” and
8. Karelys Olmo-Rodríguez

conspired to unjustly enrich themselves by stealing means of identification of other people and using it to defraud the home improvement retailer Home Depot and Bank A.

To execute the fraudulent scheme, the defendants stole identifying information from unsuspecting victims, created hundreds of fraudulent Puerto Rico drivers’ licenses that contained some combination of stolen means of identifications including names, dates of birth, and drivers’ license numbers, along with photographs of the faces of members of the conspiracy. The defendants used the fraudulent licenses to open accounts at Home Depot and purchased thousands of dollars in merchandise, to then sell it.

“Financial fraud is one of the largest challenges facing American citizens and businesses today. Prevention and prosecution of crimes of this nature will remain a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said United States Attorney, W. Stephen Muldrow. “The defendants took advantage of the victims to steal their credit, fraudulently purchase merchandise, and then sell it to enrich themselves. We understand there may be more victims, so if you suspect you could be one, please contact HSI at (787) 729-6969.”

The defendants will make their initial court appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos-Vega of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Olinghouse and Manuel Muñiz-Lorenzi, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Special Assistant United States Attorney Edwin Caban Jr. are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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