New York Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years for Laundering Nearly $1 Million From Tech-Support and 'Refund' Scams Aimed at Seniors

Published Nov. 11, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

A pop-up says your computer is locked. Or an email says Geek Squad or PayPal just charged your card. You call the number, and a friendly "representative" tells you the company accidentally refunded you too much and you need to send the difference back. According to federal prosecutors in Arizona, that script cost older people across the country their money, and Ivan Wilbur Seales was one of the people who moved the money afterward [1].

On Nov. 6, 2026, U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash sentenced Seales, 58, a resident of New York and citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, to 121 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay about $855,000 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona announced on Nov. 10 [1]. A jury had earlier found him guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering [1].

How the scheme worked

The U.S. Attorney's Office describes a network that "preyed on elderly victims from around the country, including Arizona" [1]. According to the release:

1. The lure. Victims were hit with "phishing attacks" such as pop-ups and websites that impersonated banks and tech companies. Others got an email or text saying they had been charged by "the Geek squad, PayPal, or an Anti-Virus Software company." Those charges never happened.
2. The fake company rep. Victims who called were connected to scammers who falsely claimed to represent companies such as Apple or Microsoft.
3. The "over-refund." The callers convinced victims that the "legitimate companies" had mistakenly sent an "over-refunded amount" into their bank accounts. Victims then sent their own money back, believing they were returning the extra.
4. The fear story. Some victims were told their bank accounts had been hacked. At least one was told his account was linked to child pornography. Victims were then told to move money to various places to "protect" their accounts or to "catch" the scammers.

Where Seales fit in

Prosecutors did not say Seales made the calls. The release says he "laundered nearly $1 million in proceeds" for the network, kept a share for himself, and helped move the rest "through a maze of financial transactions he conducted through shell companies, crypto transfers, cash withdrawals, and other financial transfers offshore" [1].

That role matters. Tech-support and refund scams usually run from call centers overseas, and the callers rarely set foot in the United States. The schemes depend on people inside the country who open accounts, receive victims' money and pass it along. Those laundering steps are often where U.S. investigators can make an arrest.

The Arizona Daily Independent, reporting on the April verdict, said Seales was convicted after a six-day jury trial and was taken into custody after the verdict [2].

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the New York State Police investigated, with help from other state and local agencies. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tucson prosecuted the case, No. 24-CR-0419-TUC-SHR [1]. The docket is listed on CourtListener as United States v. Seales, 4:24-cr-00419 [3].

The release does not name the callers or any other members of the network, and it does not name any victim. Neither do we.

The person convicted and his status

Ivan Wilbur Seales, 58, of New York. Found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sentenced Nov. 6, 2026, to 121 months in prison, with about $855,000 in restitution to victims [1]. The sources we reviewed do not say whether he plans to appeal. We found no public statement from Seales or his lawyer.

Red flags

These are general warning signs of tech-support and refund scams, not claims about any person beyond what prosecutors described.

• A pop-up or alert with a phone number telling you to call "support" right away. Real companies don't freeze your screen and ask you to call.
• An email or text about a charge you don't recognize that gives a phone number instead of telling you to log in to your account.
• Any claim that a company "over-refunded" you. Companies don't ask you to wire, deposit or send back money by cash, gift card, crypto or a bank transfer you start yourself.
• Requests to let someone remotely access your computer so they can "fix" a refund or show you your bank account.
• Fear stories: your account is hacked, linked to a crime, or must be "protected" by moving money.
• Instructions to keep it secret from your bank or family.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Hang up or close the window. Restart your computer. If a pop-up won't close, shut the device down.
2. Call your bank yourself, using the number on your card or statement, never a number from the pop-up, email or caller.
3. Don't send money "back." If money really showed up by mistake, your bank can sort it out.
4. If someone had remote access, have the device checked, change your passwords from a different device, and turn on two-factor authentication.
5. Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you are 60 or older, the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline, 1-833-372-8311 (1-833-FRAUD-11), can help you file.
6. Ask your bank about a recall right away if you sent a wire or transfer. Speed matters.

Case status (as of Nov. 11, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Ivan Wilbur Seales, 58, New York	U.S. District Court, District of Arizona (Tucson), No. 24-CR-0419-TUC-SHR	Convicted by jury of conspiracy to commit money laundering; sentenced Nov. 6, 2026, to 121 months in prison and about $855,000 in restitution	[1], [2], [3]

Statuses can change, including on appeal.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, "New York Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Prison for Laundering Proceeds for Elder Fraud Scam Network," Release No. 2026-188_Seales, Nov. 10, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/new-york-man-sentenced-over-10-years-prison-laundering-proceeds-elder-fraud-scam-network
2. ADI Staff Reporter, "Green Card Holder Guilty of Laundering Money from Scam Targeting Elderly Arizonans," Arizona Daily Independent, April 13, 2026. https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2026/04/13/green-card-holder-guilty-of-laundering-money-from-scam-targeting-elderly-arizonans/
3. United States v. Seales, No. 4:24-cr-00419 (D. Ariz.), docket, CourtListener, accessed Nov. 11, 2026. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68211062/united-states-v-seales/

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