Woman nabbed for using name of BBM’s exec staff to extort money

EXTORTIONIST. A National Bureau of Investigation agent escorts an arrested woman who used the name of presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos’ chief of staff, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, to extort money in this undated photo. The suspect is identified as Caseilyn dela Cruz Cardenas, 31, of Lolomboy, Bocuae, Bulacan. (Contributed photo)

MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested a woman who solicited money, using the name of lawyer Vic D. Rodriguez, the chief of staff and spokesman of presidential frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., purportedly to help the victims of Tropical Storm Agaton.

In a report to NBI officer-in-charge Director Eric Distor, lawyer Jerome Bomediano, chief of the Special Action Unit (SAU), identified the suspect as Caseilyn dela Cruz Cardenas, 31, of 1018 Morales St., Lolomboy, Bocuae, Bulacan.

Cardenas was arrested based on a complaint filed by Rodriguez and Arsenio Boy Evangelista of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).

On April 18, Rodriguez filed a complaint with the NBI after receiving information that some individuals were using his fake Facebook account to illegally solicit money from wealthy businessmen.

The modus operandi of the suspect and her group is to call or send a message to their potential victims before asking for donations for the alleged relief operation of the Marcos camp for the victims of “Agaton.”

Rodriguez said many of his friends called him about this type of solicitation and one of those who gave him the information was Evangelista.

Allegedly, Cardenas' group was demanding PHP120,000 as a shipping fee for deliveries of tons of rice.

The money was forwarded under the name of Jennylyn E. Complido, with BDO account No. 002430167693.

Lawyer Mark Santiago, Executive Officer for Operations of NBI-SAU, said he instructed Senior Agent (SRA) Levi Anthony Royeras to launch an entrapment against the suspect.

The suspect was arrested on the night of April 18 in her hometown.

Recovered from the suspect were an iPhone 6 unit, a BDO ATM card and a receipt of Cebuana Lhuillier Pera Padala.

Cardenas, however, denied the charge against her claiming that a National Bilibid Prison inmate she identified as a certain Kiko allegedly instructed her to open a bank account where some money will be deposited to be used to buy a car.

She admitted that before her arrest, PHP50,000 had been deposited in her bank account which she sent to Kiko through Cebuana Pera Padala.

When asked about Kiko's real identity, the suspect failed to identify him except by saying they were former batchmates at Lolomboy National High School.

The suspect, detained at the NBI lockup, is charged with the violation of RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) and attempted estafa in relation to RA 10175. (PR)

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