'Illegal recruiter' faces 50 counts of money laundering

MANILA, Philippines - The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has filed a total of 50 counts of money laundering charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against a man who allegedly pretended to be a foreign employer and duped overseas Filipino workers by having them deposit training fees in “GCash” accounts.

The AMLC – represented by deputy director and compliance and investigation group head Richard Funk II and Rafael Echaluse of the compliance and investigation group – charged Wilfredo Almira Isaac Jr. with violating Republic Act 9160, the anti-money laundering law, after they discovered he had received P500,000 through these accounts.

Isaac, who is still at large, reportedly used aliases such as Paul Almanza Sauer, Allain Boy Paras Mallabo, John Almira Jasmin, Cyrus Ramos Villanueva and Dennis Ramos Dominguez.

In an eight-page joint complaint-affidavit filed by the AMLC before the DOJ during the weekend, it said Isaac is allegedly involved in an online overseas job recruitment scam.

Applicants were charged training fees they were supposed to deposit in designated GCash accounts that Isaac controlled.

The AMLC said four withdrawals in the amount of P12,000 in connection with a complaint by a certain Myla Caballes and others were made. The AMLC also traced 46 more withdrawals amounting to P488,600 total.  

“The evidence on hand clearly shows that Isaac had transacted the proceeds of estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code. Considering that estafa is an unlawful activity under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, as amended and that Isaac has full knowledge of the illegal nature of the proceeds that he transacted with all, the elements of money laundering, Isaac is liable for at least 50 counts of money laundering,” the AMLC said in its complaint. The AMLC said Isaac reportedly pretended to be a foreign employer currently in town, posting advertisements for caregivers and nurses on job search websites.

He assumed fictitious names such as Peter Curtis, chief executive officer of The Portland Hospital; Michael Marthur, president and CEO of BL Healthcare; Nancy Foster, director of Rosedale Calgary Hospital; Meg Baxter, chairman of Maine Medical Center; Joseph Gross, president and CEO of St. Elizabeth Medical Center, as well as several others, according to the AMLC.

The AMLC said Isaac would reply to job applicants, saying they had been selected. Isaac would then inform the applicants that no placement and processing fees and no deduction of salaries would be made.

However, he would require them to attend a British English training course and payment would be made to Carondelet Training and Review Center and Flyff Training and Review Center or to certain GCash accounts.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said Carondelet and Flyff are not licensed to recruit workers for overseas employment.

Isaac is also the subject of arrest warrants by Manila courts for estafa and large-scale illegal recruitment. The warrants stemmed from complaints filed by Lynette de Guzman, Josephine Lopez, Flornel Silvana, Jacqueline Luching, Norly Tomas, Martina Glorinda Carlos and Alma Cristobal.