Today Federal investigators say that they've arrested a Houston woman who ran a nationwide scheme to collect ransoms from people who she conned into believing that their children were kidnapped.
The thirty four year old suspect, Yanette Rodriguez Acosta, was taken into custody by federal agents Thursday after being indicted two days ago on multiple charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud. At this time it's unknown if she's retained an attorney.
Federal Authorities say she conspired with several others in Mexico in what they describe as a "virtual kidnapping" scheme.
The scheme was comprised of a devious plot in which they called people in California, Idaho and Texas on the phone alleging that their children or relatives were being hostage and can only be freed if a ransom was paid.
Federal Agents say that two victims in particular back in 2015 were told that their daughters were kidnapped because they witnessed a crime and that the daughters' fingers would be cut off if the parents didn't follow demands.
The parents of those individuals made two separate cash drops following the orders of the phone scheme in which they paid an estimated $28,000.00 to the virtual kidnapping fraud organization.
Federal investigators hope that the suspect in custody will help unravel the mystery as to the others involved in the scheme as well as identify other potential victims in the crime.
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