By DSS Public Affairs Specialist Eric Weiner

Carla Magaly Alcedo Mendoza is accused of managing a network of Peruvian call centers for more than five years and extorting more than $15 million from unsuspecting Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States. Her long-distance crime spree came to an end when the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) worked with U.S. interagency and Peruvian partners to locate and capture Alcedo and return her to the United States to face justice.

Alcedo’s call centers targeted Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States, deceitfully claiming they qualified for free laptops and English language classes. When victims showed interest, they were threatened with legal action if they refused to pay fraudulent fees. The Department of Justice Office of International Affairs asked DSS to help locate and extradite Alcedo to the United States where she was wanted to stand trial for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and extortion.

DSS has the largest global footprint of any law enforcement organization, and our partnerships overseas provide a unique advantage when investigating transnational crimes. DSS has widened this advantage by forming vetted police units, which are made up of foreign law enforcement officers assigned to DSS-led regional security offices at embassies around the world. These highly skilled, trusted units help DSS leverage host nation capabilities and resources to investigate and prosecute wanted international criminals like Alcedo.

DSS investigators worked closely with the Peruvian National Police (PNP) vetted unit that located and captured Alcedo in March 2023, but she was released on parole. The government of Peru approved her extradition to the United States in June 2024, but Alcedo didn’t show up for her hearing. A judge reactivated her arrest warrant, and our PNP partners located and arrested Alcedo for the second and final time in March 2025 (watch the PNP arrest Alcedo here).

On April 30, 2025, DSS coordinated with the Peruvian National Police, INTERPOL, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to extradite Alcedo to the United States where she is charged in an 18-count federal indictment filed in Florida. If convicted, Alcedo faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count.

DSS Regional Security Officer Stephen DeWitt noted “Alcedo is the tenth Peruvian citizen extradited to the United Sates as part of this scheme and this call center criminal will no longer harm U.S. citizens thanks to excellent DSS criminal investigative work and the  invaluable support from the U.S. interagency and our Peruvian partners.”