Elijah Gavin, from Northern Ireland, was sentenced in Rhode Island on November 17.
Elijah Gavin, from Northern Ireland, has been sentenced to federal prison in the US as part of "Operation Take Back America," Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom has announced.
29-year-old Gavin admitted, in one case, to participating in a multi-state construction and money laundering fraud scheme that netted more than a million dollars, the US Department of Justice's District of Rhode Island said.
He also admitted, in a separate case, to using false information to enter the US.
In one case, Gavin was sentenced by US District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 48 months imprisonment, forfeiture of $4885.57, a forfeiture money judgment of $1,000,000, a restitution order of $1,109,500, and $300 in special assessments.
In the other case, he was sentenced to one day imprisonment and a $100 special assessment, to run concurrently.
The Northern Ireland man has been in federal custody since his arrest in New Jersey on January 29.
A fugitive in Northern Ireland
Gavin, who also goes by the aliases Timothy O’Reilly and Elijah Thomas, entered the US via Dublin in October 2022. Court documents refer to him as a British national.
According to the criminal complaint filed in January 2025 in the District of Rhode Island, Gavin’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application included false responses to questions related to his criminal history.
The criminal complaint said that, based on a Northern Ireland Unlawfully at Large ('UAL') Notice, Gavin "possesses convictions in Northern Ireland for grievous bodily harm, burglary and theft, burglary with intent to steal, and possession of a class B substance."
In its notice, the Northern Ireland Department of Justice said Gavin had been unlawfully at large since April 13, 2022; he had been on compassionate temporary release from HMP Magilligan in Derry.
Traveling Conmen Fraud Group (Conmen Travelers)
"On May 26, 2023, DHS retroactively denied Gavin’s ESTA application because of his affiliations with The Traveling Conmen Fraud Group," the complaint said.
In an indictment filed in February, Gavin was charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.
Court documents alleged that Gavin and other co-conspirators were purported to be associated with the so-called Traveling Conmen Fraud Group (Conmen Travelers), a group recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI's) Terrorist Screen Center as a Transnational Organized Crime (TCO) group.
According to the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, Conmen Travelers are groups of Irish or UK nationals who entered the US on pleasure or tourist visas and overstayed their visits or, more commonly, entered the US illegally.
Once in the US, they go to different cities and states, soliciting construction work. The members often quote a low price, and then, after further inspection, demand much more money and/or convince the homeowner that their homes or business are in need of major repairs.
Conmen Travelers often hire day laborers; do not have work authorization documents or pull permits; and do low-quality, unnecessary, or incomplete work, sometimes damaging homeowners’ residences.
Gavin pleaded guilty
The US Department of Justice's District of Rhode Island said that Gavin pleaded guilty in June to charges of wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statement in a document used to gain entry into the US.
In pleading guilty, Gavin admitted to using "various 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," the District of Rhode Island office said.
He and his co-conspirators also 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."
He admitted that between October 2022 and January 2025, he 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 admitted to sending "checks to money launderers in New York and California, representing funds that were fraudulently obtained from his victims."
He further admitted to being a UK fugitive who entered the US illegally.
Operation Take Back America
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Rhode Island State Police, and U.S Diplomatic Security Service, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sandra R. Hebert and Taylor A. Dean.
The US Department of Justice's District of Rhode Island noted that Gavin's case is part of Operation Take Back America, which is "a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."