Authorities in El Salvador have confirmed that international arrest warrants remain in effect against five foreigners accused of being part of a sophisticated criminal network that allegedly defrauded major telecommunications companies in Latin America. The suspects are three U.S. nationals —Ryan David Lepene, E. Howard Mandel, and John Joseph Ranieri— along with Guatemalan businessmen Jorge Leonel Gaitán Paredes and his son, Jorge Alberto Gaitán Castro.
The ruling was issued by the Sixth Court Against Organized Crime in San Salvador, which charged the group with aggravated fraud, illicit association, and aggravated extortion. Victims include at least six companies operating across the region, such as Continental Towers El Salvador, Terra Towers Corp., DT Holding Inc., Collocation Technologies, and TBS Management, as well as Salvadoran attorney Antonieta María Granillo de Galindo and Guatemalan businessman Jorge Hernández Ortiz.
The Gaitáns are already behind bars in Guatemala. In May, the Public Ministry reported that both men were caught using cell phones inside Mariscal Zavala detention center, which led to their transfer to another facility and new charges being filed. Earlier, in March, Jorge Alberto Gaitán voluntarily appeared before the Third Criminal Court, while extradition proceedings to El Salvador are currently underway.
According to Guatemalan outlet LaHora.gt, the father-and-son duo allegedly siphoned more than one million dollars through unauthorized travel expenses, banking transactions, and the issuance of checks. Investigators say that, as executives at Continental Towers, they deliberately undermined the company’s value to pressure its owner, Jorge Hernández Ortiz, into selling.
The case also points to the involvement of U.S.-based firm TPG Peppertree. Mandel and Lepene are identified as partners and executives, while Ranieri is listed as a director. Prosecutors claim they colluded with the Gaitáns and other insiders to sabotage Continental Towers’ operations, causing multimillion-dollar losses and triggering Interpol’s current pursuit.
