Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom announced today that a British national from Northern Ireland who was illegally in the United States admitted to a federal judge that he participated in a multi-state construction and money laundering fraud scheme worth more than a million dollars and provided false information to gain entry into the country.
In pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and a false statement in a document used to gain entry into the United States, Elijah Gavin, 29, acknowledged the following:
- Gavin used a variety of different names when he approached and defrauded property owners in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York by, among other things, misrepresenting to property owners’ construction needs or repairs required on their properties.
- Gavin and his co-conspirators formed multiple construction businesses and falsely represented the business’ status, experience, and quality of work; falsely represented their identities and skills to homeowners; and made false representations to property owners regarding the condition of their properties, work they would perform, and the machinery, materials, and equipment needed to perform work.
- Between October 2022 and January 2025, Gavin and his co-conspirators defrauded property owners of over one million dollars, including a Rhode Island widow who was defrauded of $850,000, as well as other elderly victims in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and a church in New York.
- Gavin sent checks to money launderers in New York and California representing funds that were fraudulently obtained from his victims.
- Gavin is a fugitive from justice in the United Kingdom who entered the United States illegally. Gavin used a false Electronic System for Travel Authorization application to gain entry into the United States without a visa. Gavin’s ESTA application contained materially false information with respect to Gavin’s criminal history in the United Kingdom.
According to the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, Conmen Travelers are groups of Irish or British individuals who either overstayed their pleasure or tourist visas after entering the United States or, more commonly, entered the country illegally. Once in the United States, they travel to various cities and states to beg for construction jobs. Members frequently claim a low price and then, after further inspection, demand considerably more money and/or convince the homeowner that their home or company needs costly repairs. Conmen travelers frequently recruit day workers who do not have work authorization documents or pull permits and perform low-quality, unneeded, or incomplete work, which can damage homeowners’ homes.
Gavin has been held in federal custody since his arrest in New Jersey on January 29, 2025. He is set to be sentenced on September 11, 2025. A federal district judge will impose penalties based on the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory circumstances.
Assistant US Attorneys Sandra R. Hebert and Taylor A. Dean are prosecuting the case.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Rhode Island State Police, and the United States Diplomatic Security Service all conducted investigations into the matter.
This case is part of the “Operation Take Back America” nationwide operation.