United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says it has arrested six of its most-wanted fraud suspects across four continents and seized nearly $17bn in a sweeping international crackdown on scam networks.
FBI Director, Kash Patel, disclosed this on Sunday in separate posts on his official X account, highlighting the arrests and financial recoveries recorded through the bureau’s international fugitive-hunting efforts and Operation Blackout, an initiative targeting global scam centres.
Patel said the six fugitives collectively spent more than 4,000 days on the run, while fraud cases associated with the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list involved more than $2bn.
He said the suspects had believed they could evade American law enforcement by fleeing the United States and hiding in other countries.
However, Patel maintained that the FBI and its international partners would continue pursuing individuals accused of defrauding Americans, regardless of where they sought refuge.
In a separate update on Operation Blackout, the FBI director said the campaign had led to the seizure of nearly $17bn, the arrest of hundreds of alleged scammers and the rescue of thousands of trafficked workers.
He added that more than 10,000 Americans had been warned before losing their money, helping to prevent an estimated $670m in financial losses.
Patel said the operation went beyond investigations, stressing that the bureau was dismantling criminal networks, disrupting their financial operations, rescuing victims and bringing alleged perpetrators to justice.
He described the scam centres as organised criminal operations that exploit victims and target Americans through sophisticated international fraud schemes.
The wider crackdown has involved raids on suspected scam centres, disruption of online infrastructure used for fraudulent activities and efforts to identify and rescue people allegedly trafficked into working for criminal organisations.
Patel reaffirmed the FBI’s commitment to working with international law enforcement agencies to dismantle the networks and apprehend those responsible.
Among the six individuals identified in the report as captured are Manjit Singh Bedi, Elaine Agene Esco, Khalid Ahmed Satary, Herbert Leon Kimble, Sahid Abdullahi Ereg and Emylee Thai.
The FBI director warned criminal organisations targeting Americans that international borders would not shield them from prosecution.
