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Two L.A. County residents are accused of stealing over $2 million through “grandparent scams.”

The suspects were identified as James Wesley Jackson III, aka “Imperial,” 42, and Christopher Fagon, 45, who used several aliases, mostly variations of “Christopher Broker,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Grandparent scams” typically involve convincing elderly victims to send money to help their relatives. Oftentimes, the victims are told their grandchildren are in legal trouble.

Victims are told to send the money to bank accounts, business entities and addresses provided by the scammers through interstate wires and cashier’s checks, according to court documents.

The stolen money is then handled by “money mules” who allow their addresses or bank accounts to be used to receive or negotiate cashier’s checks.

Fagon was allegedly a manager of money mules, including Jackson, who then recruited his own money mules, officials said. Fagon is accused of creating businesses and opening bank accounts using stolen information from identity theft victims.

Once the money was transferred into the accounts, Fagon and Jackson would engage in transactions “designed to conceal the true nature of the funds” from wire fraud.

Elderly victims who were targeted in this scheme lived in California and across the U.S.

In one instance, stolen funds were held in suspense in an account set up with a victim’s name. Fagon, Jackson and another associate worked together to contact the bank and impersonate the victim to receive a check for nearly $83,000 from the account.

Jackson was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and was released on bond. A trial is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2024.

Fagon, who at the time of the scheme lived in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of L.A., faces identical charges and is now believed to be in or near Toronto, Canada.

If convicted, the charge of conspiring to commit money laundering carries up to 20 years in prison and conspiring to commit bank fraud carries up to 30 years in prison.

The case remains under investigation by the FBI. The Toronto Police Service in Canada assisted in the investigation.