A Washington man was sentenced yesterday to nearly two years in federal prison for his role in a multi-year debt consolidation scheme that defrauded consumers across Oregon and Washington. His business partner remains at large as legal proceedings continue.
Driving the news: Javier Antonio Banuelas Urueta, 55, of Vancouver, Wash., received a 21-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $115,750 in restitution for conspiring to commit and committing mail and wire fraud. His co-conspirator, Dalia Castilleja Saucedo, has been indicted on the same charges but has not yet been arrested.
Details of the scheme: The duo operated ConsoliDebt Solutions, LLC, a purported debt consolidation service, between April 2019 and April 2024. They advertised heavily on radio stations in Oregon and Washington, targeting vulnerable consumers seeking relief from their financial burdens.
- Clients were promised debt consolidation or reduction services and directed to send payments through various channels, including direct deposits, mailed checks, and money orders.
- Banuelas and Castilleja misappropriated client funds to cover personal expenses such as car leases, rent, and wire transfers.
The fallout: Banuelas and Castilleja falsified monthly account statements that were sent to their “customers” to maintain the ruse, misleading victims into believing their debts were being addressed. The deception unraveled in April 2024 when a federal grand jury indicted the pair on seven counts of mail and wire fraud.
- Banuelas pleaded guilty in August 2024, leading to his sentencing.
- Castilleja remains at large, and authorities are pursuing her arrest.
