A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to six to 23 months in prison for faking a Mafia kidnapping in Europe to get “ransom” money from his victims.
His fradulent scheme prompted responses from local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney.
Joshua B. Fernando, 27, of Salisbury Township, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to a charge of theft by deception. He also received two years of probation.
Fernando Told Victims He Was Taken Hostage by a Mafia Boss in the United Kingdom
“Fernando … told the victims he traveled to Europe in May 2024 for what he claimed was a business trip, but once abroad he told the victims he had been captured by the Mafia and would be killed if his captors didn’t receive a large ransom. The victims told investigators that Fernando had first called them claiming he was involved in a car crash in the United Kingdom with an expensive, bullet-proof vehicle owned by a Mafia boss. Fernando asked the victims for a large sum of money to pay the Mafia boss off, they said,” a statement from the DA’s office said.
The scheme escalated in later days, with Fernando telling victims the Mafia boss was following him, threatening to kill him. Eventually he claimed he had been taken hostage and was being beaten.
Fernando Used a VPN to Mask His Location, Sent Photos, Videos of Himself Being Abused by His Alleged Captors
“When the victims asked Fernando to confirm his whereabouts he would create a VPN to mask his true location. Fernando also sent the victims pictures of his bruised and swollen face and created videos of himself being assaulted and abused by his supposed captors in order to keep up the ruse. One such video depicted Fernando on his knees with a masked male behind him holding what appeared to be a gun to his head,” the DA’s office said.
The victims sent $126,500 to Fernando. Eventually, after repeated, frequent requests for money, the victims became suspicious and contacted London police and the United States Embassy in the United Kingdom.
Fernando Told the Victims He was Still Being Threatened by the Mafia After Returning to the US
“After being released by his supposed captors Fernando told the victims he flew back to the United States, where he claimed he was again threatened by the Mafia that he would be a ‘dead man’ if he called the police.
The victims contacted Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI to report these threats, to which the FBI informed the victims that they were being scammed,” the DA’s office said. Police said they caught up with Fernando in Lancaster County, where he was trying to withdraw $130,000 from a bank account.
“A search of Fernando’s cellphone uncovered multiple conversations with his supposed captor discussing how to make his ransom videos appear real. Fernando admitted to police that he fabricated the events in order to gain money from the victims,” the DA’s office said.
