Overview
- An EDNY indictment unsealed on September 22 names Julio César Montero Pinzón and his half-sister Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón in a scheme tied to CJNG.
- Montero is additionally charged with providing material support to a designated terrorist organization for alleged conduct after CJNG’s 2025 FTO listing.
- Prosecutors say the CJNG-run operation has been active since at least 2012 and used Mexican call centers to solicit advance fees from U.S. timeshare owners.
- From 2019 to 2024, about 6,000 U.S. victims reported roughly $350 million in losses connected to the scheme, according to DOJ statements.
- Both defendants are described as fugitives, and authorities note prior U.S. sanctions targeting CJNG’s timeshare network; reported penalties could reach 20 years to life if convicted.