Lowell Man Arraigned on Larceny Charges For Bilking Elders in Elaborate Grandparent Scam
WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced today that a Lowell man has been arraigned on charges in connection with an elaborate “grandparent scam” in which he allegedly conned people into sending him money to pay bail for their grandchildren who were supposedly being held on criminal charges.
Mohammed Khan, AKA Mohammed Kann, 36, was arraigned on charges of larceny over $250 from a person over the age of sixty (seven counts), attempt to commit larceny over $250 from a person over the age of sixty (two counts), and being a common and notorious thief in Middlesex Superior Court. The defendant was held on $15,000 with conditions that if he posts bail he is to be subject to GPS monitoring and surrender his passport.
The defendant’s next court date is July 2 for a pretrial hearing.
“With these charges, we allege that this defendant, apparently working with others, created and executed a deliberate, malicious scam to scare grandparents into thinking that their grandchildren were in jail and needed their financial help to get out,” District Attorney Ryan said. “These allegations are despicable, convincing caring elders that their loved ones are in jeopardy and only by depleting their life savings can they help keep their grandchildren safe.”
According to authorities, in February, four residents of Utah and Texas received phone calls notifying them that their grandchildren had been arrested and needed bail money to be released from jail.
It is alleged that to further this scheme an initial call was made by the “grandchild” telling their grandparent that they had been arrested, were in custody, and needed money to make bail. This call was then followed up allegedly by another, purportedly by someone who was helping the grandchild to make the bail arrangements. In each instance, it is alleged that the recipient of the call was directed to send cash overnight to various addresses in Lowell to effectuate this bail transaction. It is alleged that the defendant retrieved the overnight shipments of cash at the specified addresses. Once the first payment was received, the victim then allegedly received a follow up call telling them that the police were “upgrading” the charges against the grandchild and that more money was required for bail and to retain legal counsel. The grandparent was then directed to make an additional cash payment in the same fashion as the first. Each victim was also instructed to keep the phone calls and the bail money confidential and to tell no one about the supposed arrest and charges.
When the grandparents were finally able to speak with their actual grandchildren, and learned the information that had been conveyed was not true, they notified authorities and an investigation was initiated.
It is alleged that in total, the defendant and the others, used four different locations in Lowell for delivery of the cash payments that totaled more than $83,000.
The defendant was arrested by Lowell Police on February 21 on one charge of larceny over $250. He has been held on bail since his arraignment in Lowell District Court.
These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Doug Cannon of the District Attorney’s Special Investigations Unit.