Two admit roles in scheme involving millions of dollars stolen from victims of online scams

Date: March 9, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that two men have pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to conspiracy charges related to receiving, moving, and converting millions of dollars stolen from victims of online scams.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Richard Fasanella, a U.S. citizen who resided in Venezuela, connected with others who used various online scams, including romance scams, to defraud dozens of primarily elderly victims of millions of dollars. Between approximately 2018 and 2024, Fasanella opened numerous bank accounts in his own name and in the name of various sham companies, and he directed associates, including John J. Intoci, to open bank accounts in the name of various sham companies that Fasanella ultimately controlled. Fasanella, Intoci, and others used these bank accounts to deposit nearly $9 million in checks, cash, and money orders that had been mailed to them from scam victims. Fasanella, Intoci, and others kept a percentage of these funds for themselves, and Fasanella, with the assistance of Intoci and others, moved the remaining money to other bank accounts or financial institutions, and ultimately to the cryptocurrency wallets of the scam operators.

On several occasions, bank employees and law enforcement informed Fasanella that the money he received was from scammed victims, and Fasanella had several accounts closed and had money seized by law enforcement due to fraud. However, he continued to launder money for scammers he met on the internet.

Fasanella was deported from Bogota, Colombia, and has been detained since January 26, 2024. On March 3, 2026, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and illegal monetary transactions, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26.

Intoci of Spring Hill, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. He was arrested on January 16, 2025, and is currently released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 29.

This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Global Illicit Financial Team (GIFT); the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and Migración Colombia. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs and the Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Cherry and Stephanie Levick.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.