Latest news with #ElijahGavin
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
British national pleads guilty to defrauding homeowners
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A British national accused of scamming homeowners in three states pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges Thursday in Providence as part of a plea agreement. Elijah Gavin, 29, faces a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.2 million. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Gavin was one of what the FBI calls Conmen Travelers, which are groups of Irish or U.K. nationals who swindle homeowners in a contracting scheme. Feds warn homeowners of 'traveling conman' scheme Court documents say Gavin claimed he was a contractor and used different aliases like 'Simon Kelly' and 'Timothy O'Reilly' to defraud homeowners in three states, including Rhode Island, where he targeted a 78-year-old widow. According to those documents, the woman paid Gavin more than $850,000 in separate checks for work he performed on the foundation and roof of her home in 2023. She later called police after her bank flagged a wire transfer Gavin had requested, saying his account 'dealt with Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies' and was not a construction company. Investigators used surveillance video of Gavin depositing money at a Providence ATM and a mugshot published by a U.K. news outlet to identify him. Upon seeing the booking photo, the victim reportedly pointed to the laptop and said, 'That's Tim!' Police took Gavin into custody in February. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland has had him listed as 'unlawfully at large' since 2022, when he went on the lam after being convicted of a number of offenses, including burglary, bodily harm and drug possession. Interview: Irish journalist on 'Traveling Conman Fraud' The plea agreement notes that Gavin may have the option to transfer his sentence abroad through the international prisoner transfer program. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Target 12 reached out to his attorney for a comment, but hasn't heard back. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sunday World
16 hours ago
- Sunday World
Irish conman on the run from prison pleads guilty in $850k US home repair scam
Elijah Gavin pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges on Thursday at Rhode Island District Court as part of a plea agreement Elijah Gavin fled to America while on release from prison in the North An Irishman on the run from prison here has pleaded guilty to charges in the United States of conning $850,000 from an elderly woman in a home repair scam. Elijah Gavin pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges on Thursday at Rhode Island District Court as part of a plea agreement. The agreement states Gavin may have the option to serve his sentence abroad through the international prisoner transfer programme. This means Gavin (29), who faces a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.2m, could serve his time in Northern Ireland, where he is unlawfully at large. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September, according WPRI12, which first broke the news about Gavin's arrest earlier this year. Also known as Timothy O'Reilly, he was part of a gang that defrauded homeowners of over $1m in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Details of the organised crime gang and their activities were described in an affidavit by a Homeland Security special agent filed with the court. Elijah Gavin fled to America while on release from prison in the North Gavin flew to the United States from Dublin in October 2022, when he was unlawfully at large from prison in Northern Ireland. At the time he was facing charges over an attempt to trick an elderly woman out of £40,000. Gavin has convictions for assault, burglary and theft, which led to his visa being cancelled in May 2023, according to the court document. One of the victims was a 78-year-old woman who handed over $850,000 for unnecessary repairs to her foundation basement. After one member of the gang talked her into paying a deposit, the costs began to escalate and there were requests for more cash to pay for specialist machinery. The woman identified one of the 'supervisors' as Timothy Kelly from a photograph of Gavin first published by the Belfast Newsletter in an article about him being at large from Magilligan Prison. The men disappeared after a neighbour came in to inspect the work, but another attempt was made by the gang to defraud the woman. Investigators later linked the phone number being used by the caller to locations where Gavin had stayed in various hotels. Police image of Gavin's ID cards They also used footage from an ATM machine to link Gavin to a bank account, opened with his UK passport, they say was used in the alleged scam. A total of six victims were able identify Gavin to investigators, who also described the organised crime gang of which they allege Gavin is a member. In his affidavit the special agent said: 'I am aware that the traveling conman fraud group has been recognised by the Federal Bureau of Investigations terrorist screening centre as a transnational organized crime group. 'While not a centrally organized group, the travellers are groups of Irish or UK nationals who entered the United States on pleasure or tourist visas and overstay their visits or more commonly entered the United States illegally. 'Once in the United States travellers go to different cities and states soliciting construction work.' He added that small jobs can then escalate into major repairs and gang members overcharged homeowners and sometimes intimidate people into paying them upfront for work that isn't finished.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
British national pleads guilty to defrauding homeowners
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A British national accused of scamming homeowners in three states pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges Thursday in Providence as part of a plea agreement. Elijah Gavin, 29, faces a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.2 million. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Gavin was one of what the FBI calls Conmen Travelers, which are groups of Irish or U.K. nationals who swindle homeowners in a contracting scheme. Feds warn homeowners of 'traveling conman' scheme Court documents say Gavin claimed he was a contractor and used different aliases like 'Simon Kelly' and 'Timothy O'Reilly' to defraud homeowners in three states, including Rhode Island, where he targeted a 78-year-old widow. According to those documents, the woman paid Gavin more than $850,000 in separate checks for work he performed on the foundation and roof of her home in 2023. She later called police after her bank flagged a wire transfer Gavin had requested, saying his account 'dealt with Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies' and was not a construction company. Investigators used surveillance video of Gavin depositing money at a Providence ATM and a mugshot published by a U.K. news outlet to identify him. Upon seeing the booking photo, the victim reportedly pointed to the laptop and said, 'That's Tim!' Police took Gavin into custody in February. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland has had him listed as 'unlawfully at large' since 2022, when he went on the lam after being convicted of a number of offenses, including burglary, bodily harm and drug possession. Interview: Irish journalist on 'Traveling Conman Fraud' The plea agreement notes that Gavin may have the option to transfer his sentence abroad through the international prisoner transfer program. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Target 12 reached out to his attorney for a comment, but hasn't heard back. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sunday World
29-04-2025
- Sunday World
US target Irish crime gangs in huge operation involving FBI and immigration control
'It is believed many of those smuggled into the US from Canada are related to members of a criminal gang' US crackdown on Irish crime gangs in 'Operation Take Back America' Investigators in the US have identified dozens of people they believe are connected to home repair scams by Irish citizens. Huge resources are being brought to bear on the organised crime gangs as part of the hardline 'Operation Take Back America' aimed at immigrant criminals. Two recent cases in Rhode Island highlighted how alleged scammers have taken millions from unsuspecting homeowners. John O'Brien (28), who is charged with conspiracy and wire fraud, briefly appeared again in court last week where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Elijah Gavin is facing charges in Rhode Island There was some discussion as to whether he had access to funds to pay a lawyer and it was heard his family members are scattered all over the US and Ireland. The allegations against O'Brien are that he preyed on homeowners who initially agreed to have work carried out, only for more damage to be discovered that could be fixed at a higher cost. Documents found in his vehicle suggest that contracts worth almost $1million had been signed with various people in Rhode Island. Under the crackdown, local police have been able to call on federal agencies to assist in tackling the alleged scam artists. Homeland Security Investigation officers put surveillance on the home of one homeowner in Warwick, Rhode Island, who had contacted the local sheriff's department. It is claimed when O'Brien (27) turned up at the house on the morning of Friday, March 28, the authorities were waiting for him. He had allegedly tried to persuade a homeowner that a further €80,000 was needed to repair work on damaged foundations at his home. In the affidavit of the investigator, an unnamed brother of O'Brien is alleged to be a co-conspirator and is also now wanted by the federal agencies. It is alleged that the pair made 74 mostly cash deposits worth $220,838 at Bank of America between May 31, 2022 and June 22, 2023. O'Brien, they said, had entered the country originally as a tourist in 2021 and had overstayed his visa. Some of the work carried out by John O'Brien (below) . A statement earlier this month from the US Attorney's Office said the case is part of Operation Take Back America 'a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organisations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime'. Another Irish man is facing similar charges in Rhode Island having been arrested in January and accused of defrauding $850,000 from an elderly woman. Elijah Gavin, who is unlawfully at large from prison, is facing charges in Rhode Island Elijah Gavin was indicted by a jury for his part in a 'multi-state construction and money laundering fraud scheme'. Gavin, who is unlawfully at large from prison in Northern Ireland, is also charged with wire fraud between March 2022 and May 2023. In criminal complaint documents filed in court, Gavin is alleged to have acted along with other 'targets' who are also being sought by law enforcement. It is claimed money paid to Gavin was deposited into a Bank of America account controlled by a third party which saw funds totalling $5 million in November and December 2023. AJ Oshier, below, admitted his role in smuggling people from Canada to the US . US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Rhode Island State Police and the US Diplomatic Security Service are also involved in the case, highlighting the priority given to investigating the scams. The FBI's Terrorist Screening Centre has given the scamming gangs the name 'Travelling Conman Fraud' and described them as Irish or UK nationals. 'Once in the United States, they go to different cities and states, soliciting construction work,' a statement said. The FBI was directly involved in another case involving James Dinnigan (27) and Martin Maughan (31), who were arrested in New York in January suspected of involvement in a €1.4 million scam. Like the Rhode Island cases, they are alleged to have set up a bogus home repair company to look for work and ripping off customers. While they are the only people named in the criminal complaint filed with the courts, it is suspected others are involved in the same alleged fraud. A 68-year-old woman was persuaded to hand over $335,000 while another aged in her seventies lost $400,000. The FBI launched an operation into the alleged scam in January which they believe ran from October 2023 to February 2025. A website used in the alleged home improvements scam in the US Maughan was arrested just moments before he boarded a flight from Boston to Dublin on February 7 last, according to a deposition from Special Agent Jed Fisher. A clue into the number of people involved in the alleged scams came in the case of a man hired to get people across the Canadian border late last year. AJ Oshier has since agreed a plea deal with the authorities for his role in a criminal group that smuggled up to 100 people over a two-month period last year. He admitted four offences of people smuggling and conspiracy which carries a minimum mandatory five-year sentence One Irish citizen caught by federal agents near the border in New York state told officers he had paid CAN$3,500 to get into the country from Canada. After his initial arrest, Oshier refused to name the person referred to in court documents as 'co-conspirator 1' but was listed on his phone as 'Elevated Siding and Roofing.' It is believed many of those smuggled into the US are involved with home repair scams or related to members of a criminal gang.
