By Tiffany Williams –
A massive sweep of federal and state cases across New England has ripped open a string of violent, predatory and deeply calculated crimes — from an alleged international “grandparent scam” empire to gang extortion, child exploitation, drug trafficking and multiple deadly shootings.
Four Dominican nationals — Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, 33; Joel Jose Cruz Rodriguez, 33; Edward Jose Puello Garcia, 45; and Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon, 26 — were flown into Boston on Sept. 30 after being extradited from the Dominican Republic. Prosecutors say the crew helped run a sprawling transnational “call center” network that terrorized elderly Americans with phony emergency stories about grandchildren in danger.
Investigators say more than 400 victims were targeted, with an average age of 84, including at least 50 in Massachusetts, and more than $5 million in losses. The four appeared in federal court on Oct. 1 and were ordered held. All are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
According to charging documents, Castanos Garcia allegedly led a sophisticated setup employing English-speaking callers who posed as grandchildren in accidents, followed by a fake attorney demanding cash. Callers allegedly instructed victims to hand over money to runners — including Leon — using rideshare drivers as unsuspecting couriers, or by mailing packages of cash. Victims were often hit again for more money with claims of a “mix up” or a “pregnant women’s baby was lost in the crash.” Prosecutors say the cash was laundered back to the Dominican Republic through runners and money movers in the United States.
In Massachusetts, another violent case hit a turning point as federal prosecutors secured a guilty plea from Peabody resident and Gangster Disciple member Damien Willette, 30. Willette pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to conspiracy to make interstate communications with intent to extort and making interstate communications with intent to extort. Sentencing is set for Jan. 21, 2026.
According to prosecutors, Willette and co-conspirators William Walley and Michael O’Shea threatened two victims — a former Gangster Disciple Willette had recruited (Victim 2) and the victim’s romantic partner (Victim 1) — while the men were serving state sentences. Willette allegedly demanded “aid and assistance” payments from November 2020 to May 2024 and warned that Victim 2 would not be “blessed out” of the gang if the money stopped. Prosecutors say Willette threatened that gang members would pistol whip them and that “it’s going to be bad for you and everyone you know.”
Meanwhile in Worcester federal court, Uxbridge resident Scott Morrill, 52, pleaded guilty on Oct. 8 to possession of child sexual abuse material. Morrill stored hundreds of images in a Google account, which Google flagged to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators later found more images in his home. At the time of the offense, Morrill was already on federal supervised release after a 2013 conviction for distribution of child pornography.
In Lowell, federal agents arrested Marc Sanchez, 31, on Oct. 1 on a criminal complaint charging him with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Prosecutors say Sanchez dealt crack out of a large apartment complex and allegedly cooked powder cocaine into crack during a Sept. 17, 2025 deal with a cooperating witness. Court filings say Sanchez used phone numbers and vehicles registered to other people and has at least four open arrest warrants in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He remains detained.
Connecticut courts also delivered major sentences. In Stamford, Judge Alex V. Hernandez sentenced Ian Evans, 33, of Bridgeport, to 40 years in prison on Nov. 7. A jury convicted him on Oct. 1 of Manslaughter in the First Degree with a Firearm, Assault in the First Degree and Criminal Use of a Firearm. Evidence showed Evans fatally shot 35-year-old Shernetta Dunmore at an end-of-summer party on Sept. 20, 2020 and fired multiple shots at a second victim, wounding him. Video surveillance captured Evans firing into the parking lot.
Just weeks earlier in the same courthouse, Judge Colleen Zingaro sentenced Teresa Martinez, 39, of Bridgeport, to 15 years in prison, execution suspended after six years served, with five years of probation. Martinez pleaded guilty on Aug. 12 to Trafficking in Persons and Risk of Injury to a Minor. Investigators found she arranged transportation of three minors to a Norwalk hotel for prostitution dating back to 2020. All were under 18, and one was under 16. One minor reported a $200 payment split between Martinez and the victim. Police corroborated details through hotel records. A criminal case against a co-defendant continues.
In Hartford, a Superior Court jury on Oct. 28 convicted Benjamin White, 38, of Murder, Assault in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Firearm. Prosecutors say White shot Simon Griffin, 33, twice in the head at 252 Laurel Street on Aug. 11, 2022, after an argument over a prior criminal offense. A second victim was shot in the neck and survived. According to testimony, White ordered both men to sit on the floor before opening fire.
New England prosecutors say all of the cases reflect relentless targeting of vulnerable victims, from seniors to minors to people trapped in gang violence — and in some instances, deadly outcomes that courts are now sorting with lengthy prison terms.