20-year-old Ermes Hoxhalli has been arrested for defrauding citizens by promising them free educational programs and trips to the USA
- Korca Boom
- Jul 23, 2024
- 1 min read
State Police
Proactive joint investigations between the State Police, the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, and the Tirana General Prosecution Office have led to the arrest of a Albanian national involved in a large-scale fraud scheme targeting the education system across the country.
On July 22, 2024, Ermes Hoxhalli, a 20-year-old resident of Devoll, was arrested.
The Department of Criminal Police, in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, under the direction of the Tirana General Prosecution Office, has executed a detention order issued by the Tirana General Jurisdiction Court. This order was for the arrest of Ermes Hoxhalli on charges of "Computer Fraud" and "Document Forgery."
Following a six-month investigation by a special investigative team consisting of officers from the Department of Criminal Police and investigators from the Criminal Investigation Office at the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, under the guidance of the Tirana General Prosecution Office, a fraud scheme was uncovered. This scheme was organized by the now-arrested E. H., who deceived educational institutions with the projects titled "Let’s Talk Together about US 23" and "Let’s Talk Together about US 24."
The programs promised students and teachers free trips to the United States. The arrested E. H. had created a false identity, engaging with officials from the Ministry of Education and other educational institutions across Albania. Hundreds of students, teachers, and educational officials across Albania participated in these fraudulent programs.
The Albanian State Police thanks the Tirana General Prosecution Office and the Criminal Investigation Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Tirana for their assistance in this complex investigation and for their ongoing partnership.
