FBI arrests six most-wanted fraudsters, seizes $17bn

The Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, Kash Patel, has announced the capture of six fugitives on the bureau’s most-wanted fraudsters list across four continents, alongside the seizure of nearly $17 billion in a global operation targeting scam networks.

Patel disclosed the developments in separate posts on his official X account on Sunday, outlining what he described as the progress of the FBI’s international fugitive-hunting efforts and Operation Blackout, a campaign against scam centres operating across the world.

According to Patel, the six fugitives had spent a combined total of more than 4,000 days evading arrest, while fraud cases associated with the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list involved losses exceeding $2 billion.

He said the suspects had assumed that leaving the United States and concealing themselves abroad would shield them from American law enforcement.

“They were wrong,” Patel wrote, adding that the FBI, working with international partners, would continue tracking down individuals accused of defrauding Americans, regardless of where they sought refuge.

In a separate update on Operation Blackout, Patel said the initiative had led to the seizure of nearly $17 billion, the arrest of hundreds of suspected scammers and the rescue of thousands of trafficked workers.

He added that more than 10,000 Americans had received warnings before losing their money, helping to avert an estimated $670 million in potential financial losses.

“We’re not just investigating these criminal enterprises.

“We’re dismantling their networks, disrupting their finances, rescuing victims, and holding those responsible accountable,” he said.

Patel described the scam centres as criminal enterprises that exploit vulnerable people while targeting Americans through international fraud schemes.

He said the FBI would sustain its collaboration with law enforcement agencies in other countries to dismantle the networks and bring those responsible to justice.

“To every criminal organisation targeting Americans: Justice will find you,” he added.

The broader crackdown has also involved raids on suspected scam centres, efforts to disable online infrastructure used to facilitate fraud and operations to identify and rescue people trafficked into working for criminal organisations.

The six fugitives named in connection with the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list are:

1. Manjit Singh Bedi

2. Elaine Agene Esco

3. Khalid Ahmed Satary

4. Herbert Leon Kimble

5. Sahid Abdullahi Ereg

6 Emylee Thai