United States v. Peter Senese, Southern District of New York (Mar. 31, 2015) — Complaint

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 

 Southern District of New York 
 
 U.S. ATTORNEY PREET BHARARA 

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    CONTACT:  U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 
Tuesday, March 31, 2015             James Margolin, Jennifer Queliz, 
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys           Dawn Dearden, Betsy Feuerstein 
                    (212) 637-2600 
 

          FBI  
                                                                                              Christos Sinos, J. Peter Donald,  

          Adrienne Senatore, Kelly Langmesser  
          (212) 384-2100  
     

 
MANHATTAN U.S. ATTORNEY AND FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR 

ANNOUNCE CHARGES AGAINST FOUNDER OF NON-PROFIT 
ORGANIZATION FOR DEFRAUDING PARENTS OF ABDUCTED 

CHILDREN  
 

 Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and 
Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), today announced charges against PETER SENESE, the 
Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation (“I CARE”), which advertises itself as a “self-
funded non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abduction and trafficking.”  Since at 
least 2013, SENESE allegedly defrauded parents whose children were victims of international 
abduction by falsely representing that he, working with the worldwide resources of I CARE, 
could rescue their children and return to them to the United States in exchange for money for his 
purported rescue operation expenses.  SENESE was arrested this morning in Brooklyn, New 
York, and will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein. 
 
 Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said:  “As alleged, Peter Senese fed a pack of lies 
to desperate parents by telling them, among other things, that he and his company could, for a 
price, locate and recover their internationally kidnapped children.  In fact, he could do no such 
thing, but that didn’t stop him from allegedly repeatedly reaching out to the parents for more 
money to fund his non-existent rescue mission.  This type of alleged fraud that preys on the 
especially vulnerable and desperate is a top priority for us, and we will work to ensure those who 
commit these outrageous crimes are held to strict account.”    
 
 FBI Assistant Director Diego Rodriguez said:  “As alleged, Senese’s supposed self-
funded corporation to prevent child abduction and trafficking turned out to be nothing more than 
a ruse.  He allegedly preyed on the anguish of suffering families, left them open to be victimized 
a second time, and accepted their payments to fund his personal venture without ever having 
access to the worldwide resources of which he spoke.  Fortunately, his journey ends today.  The 
FBI and our law enforcement partners often work hand in hand on cases involving the 
mysterious disappearance of a child, and we will continue to protect the welfare of those faced 
with this terrible tragedy. ” 

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys


2 
 

 
  

According to the allegations in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court: 
 

Through his websites (www.stopchildabduction.org and www.petersenese.com) and 
elsewhere, SENESE promotes I CARE as “a self-funded not-for-profit 501-C-3[sic] corporation” 
that “does not accept outside financial contributions and has reunited numerous internationally 
kidnapped children while preventing an exponentially larger number of children from 
abduction.”  SENESE also represents that I CARE includes “some of the leading figures in the 
world dedicated to protecting children from abduction and trafficking” and that “there have been 
many, many children of international parental child abduction who have been reunited and 
returned home due directly to the great efforts, financial, legal, and investigative resources” of I 
CARE.   

 
Between at least November 2013 and February 2015, SENESE specifically represented to 

victims that he could recover their children from other countries by working with a team of 
former members of the U.S. Army component Delta Force (“Delta Force”), of which SENESE 
claimed to have also been a member. SENESE repeatedly represented to one victim (“V-1”) that 
he could recover V-1’s child (“Child-1”) from India in a matter of weeks, but that he needed a 
few thousand dollars from V-1 to cover his operational expenses.  In the months that followed, 
SENESE repeatedly represented that he was very close to recovering Child-1, appeared on a 
local radio program with V-1, and sent numerous text messages and emails stating, in part, that 
he was either in India or an unspecified “remote location” and that Child-1 would be returned to 
the United States in a matter of hours or days.  During the same period, SENESE repeatedly 
asked for additional funds, typically ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 per month to cover his 
operational expenses.   

 
In fact, SENESE has not traveled outside of the country for years.  While SENESE 

represented that he was in foreign locations, he was actually in Miami, Florida; New York, New 
York; or Los Angeles, California.  SENESE also has never had any affiliation with the United 
States military, and the children SENESE promised to recover have not been recovered.   
 

* * * 
 

SENESE, 49, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which 
carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The statutory maximum sentence is 
prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as any sentencing of the 
defendant will be determined by the judge. 
  
 Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the FBI for its investigative efforts and 
ongoing support and assistance with the case. 
 
 The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. 
Attorney Jaimie L. Nawaday is in charge of the case. 
 
 The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is 
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 
 
15-086 ###

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 

 Southern District of New York 
 
 U.S. ATTORNEY PREET BHARARA 

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    CONTACT:  U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 
Tuesday, March 31, 2015             James Margolin, Jennifer Queliz, 
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys           Dawn Dearden, Betsy Feuerstein 
                    (212) 637-2600 
 

          FBI  
                                                                                              Christos Sinos, J. Peter Donald,  

          Adrienne Senatore, Kelly Langmesser  
          (212) 384-2100  
     

 
MANHATTAN U.S. ATTORNEY AND FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR 

ANNOUNCE CHARGES AGAINST FOUNDER OF NON-PROFIT 
ORGANIZATION FOR DEFRAUDING PARENTS OF ABDUCTED 

CHILDREN  
 

 Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and 
Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), today announced charges against PETER SENESE, the 
Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation (“I CARE”), which advertises itself as a “self-
funded non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abduction and trafficking.”  Since at 
least 2013, SENESE allegedly defrauded parents whose children were victims of international 
abduction by falsely representing that he, working with the worldwide resources of I CARE, 
could rescue their children and return to them to the United States in exchange for money for his 
purported rescue operation expenses.  SENESE was arrested this morning in Brooklyn, New 
York, and will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein. 
 
 Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said:  “As alleged, Peter Senese fed a pack of lies 
to desperate parents by telling them, among other things, that he and his company could, for a 
price, locate and recover their internationally kidnapped children.  In fact, he could do no such 
thing, but that didn’t stop him from allegedly repeatedly reaching out to the parents for more 
money to fund his non-existent rescue mission.  This type of alleged fraud that preys on the 
especially vulnerable and desperate is a top priority for us, and we will work to ensure those who 
commit these outrageous crimes are held to strict account.”    
 
 FBI Assistant Director Diego Rodriguez said:  “As alleged, Senese’s supposed self-
funded corporation to prevent child abduction and trafficking turned out to be nothing more than 
a ruse.  He allegedly preyed on the anguish of suffering families, left them open to be victimized 
a second time, and accepted their payments to fund his personal venture without ever having 
access to the worldwide resources of which he spoke.  Fortunately, his journey ends today.  The 
FBI and our law enforcement partners often work hand in hand on cases involving the 
mysterious disappearance of a child, and we will continue to protect the welfare of those faced 
with this terrible tragedy. ” 

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys


2 
 

 
  

According to the allegations in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court: 
 

Through his websites (www.stopchildabduction.org and www.petersenese.com) and 
elsewhere, SENESE promotes I CARE as “a self-funded not-for-profit 501-C-3[sic] corporation” 
that “does not accept outside financial contributions and has reunited numerous internationally 
kidnapped children while preventing an exponentially larger number of children from 
abduction.”  SENESE also represents that I CARE includes “some of the leading figures in the 
world dedicated to protecting children from abduction and trafficking” and that “there have been 
many, many children of international parental child abduction who have been reunited and 
returned home due directly to the great efforts, financial, legal, and investigative resources” of I 
CARE.   

 
Between at least November 2013 and February 2015, SENESE specifically represented to 

victims that he could recover their children from other countries by working with a team of 
former members of the U.S. Army component Delta Force (“Delta Force”), of which SENESE 
claimed to have also been a member. SENESE repeatedly represented to one victim (“V-1”) that 
he could recover V-1’s child (“Child-1”) from India in a matter of weeks, but that he needed a 
few thousand dollars from V-1 to cover his operational expenses.  In the months that followed, 
SENESE repeatedly represented that he was very close to recovering Child-1, appeared on a 
local radio program with V-1, and sent numerous text messages and emails stating, in part, that 
he was either in India or an unspecified “remote location” and that Child-1 would be returned to 
the United States in a matter of hours or days.  During the same period, SENESE repeatedly 
asked for additional funds, typically ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 per month to cover his 
operational expenses.   

 
In fact, SENESE has not traveled outside of the country for years.  While SENESE 

represented that he was in foreign locations, he was actually in Miami, Florida; New York, New 
York; or Los Angeles, California.  SENESE also has never had any affiliation with the United 
States military, and the children SENESE promised to recover have not been recovered.   
 

* * * 
 

SENESE, 49, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which 
carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The statutory maximum sentence is 
prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as any sentencing of the 
defendant will be determined by the judge. 
  
 Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the FBI for its investigative efforts and 
ongoing support and assistance with the case. 
 
 The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. 
Attorney Jaimie L. Nawaday is in charge of the case. 
 
 The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is 
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 
 
15-086 ###