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
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)
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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 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
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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.