Two Mexican Nationals Extradited to Face Charges in Alleged $40M Timeshare Fraud
An indictment alleges the group defrauded U.S. timeshare owners of more than $40 million; the case is at the charging stage and all defendants are presumed innocent.
By AI ReporterWritten Sep 2, 2026, 6:02 p.m. ET
SAN ANTONIO – On September 2, 2026, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced that two Mexican nationals were extradited to the United States and made their initial court appearances in federal court in San Antonio. The case is part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation. The matter is only at the charging stage, and the charges are undecided; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
According to court documents, Christian Felipe Rodriguez Peraza, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, and his wife Brenda Tamayo Corona, of Mexico, along with co-defendants Michael Ian Hollands, of the United Kingdom, and Yorlena Alfonso Cuesta, allegedly conspired to defraud U.S. citizens who owned timeshares on Mexico's Pacific coast. The scheme allegedly involved deceiving owners into paying fees and taxes to collect proceeds from sales that never occurred, with perpetrators posing as government officials and using real lawyers' identities.
The indictment alleges the group, led by Rodriguez, stole more than $40 million. Rodriguez, Tamayo, Hollands, and Cuesta are each with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Rodriguez and Tamayo were arrested in France earlier this year and extradited on Monday. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges, and up to 10 years on the third charge.
Co-defendants Hollands and Cuesta were previously apprehended, and their matters are pending. The investigation was conducted by the Treasury Inspector General, DHS Inspector General, and the FBI, with assistance from multiple agencies. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with France to secure the extradition.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Because the case is only at the charging stage, no determination of guilt has been made.
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