An Irishman on the run from Magilligan Prison in County Londonderry has been arrested in New York on charges of conning $850,000 from an elderly woman in a home repair scam.
Elijah Gavin flew to the United States from Dublin in October 2022 when he was unlawfully at large and facing charges in Northern Ireland over an attempt to trick an elderly woman out of £40,000.
Gavin is due before a judge next week in Rhode Island after being indicted by a jury for his part in a “multi-state construction and money laundering fraud scheme.”
Also known as Timothy O’Reilly, he is now alleged to be part of a gang that defrauded home owners of over $1 million in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
Details of the organised crime gang and their alleged activities are described in an affidavit by a Homeland Security special agent filed with the court.
Elijah Gavin’s photo used in a Dept of Justice (NI) unlawfully at large notice
Gavin has convictions for assault, burglary and theft which led to his visa being cancelled in May 2023, according to the court document.
One of the victims was a 78-year-old woman who handed over $850,000 for unnecessary repairs to her foundation basement.
After one member of the gang talked her into paying a deposit for arrears, the costs began to escalate and there were requests for more cash to pay for specialist machinery.
The woman identified one of the “supervisors” as Timothy Kelly from a photograph of Gavin first published by the Belfast Newsletter in an article about him being at large from Magilligan Prison.
Video grab of Elijah Gavin allegedly using a bank account linked to fraud
While the men disappeared after a neighbour came in to inspect the work another attempt was made by the gang to defraud the woman.
A caller told her the workers had been fired for their shoddy work and the firm wanted to refund her the money. However, the cheque had mistakenly been made out for $950,000 and she was asked to ‘repay’ the difference.
Investigators later linked the phone number being used by the caller to locations where Gavin had stayed in various hotels.
They also used footage from an ATM to link Gavin to a bank account, opened with his UK passport, they say was used in the alleged scam.
Another victim, of Irish heritage, paid a $3,500 cheque to “Thomas” – who he later identified as Gavin and challenged him over his claim to be Australian.
A total of six victims were able identify the Irish-accented Gavin to investigators who also described the organised crime gang of which they allege Gavin is a member.
Video grab of ID cards allegedly used by Elijah Gavin from a police body-camera during a vehicle search
In his affidavit the special agent said: “I am aware that the Traveling conman fraud group or travellers has been recognised by the Federal Bureau of investigations terrorist screening centre as a transnational organized crime group.”
“While not a centrally organized group the travellers are groups of Irish or UK nationals who entered the United States on pleasure or tourist visas and overstay their visits or more commonly entered the United States illegally.”
“Once in the United States travellers go to different cities and states soliciting construction work.”
“This is sometimes done door to door by knocking and introducing themselves to homeowners usually elderly individuals claiming to have extra materials left over from a prior job or noticing a defect or damage to the home that needs to be repaired immediately.”
He added that small jobs can then escalate into major repairs and gang members overcharged homeowners and sometimes intimidate people into paying them upfront for work that isn’t finished.
Elijah Gavin’s New York driver’s licence photo
In statement last week the US Attorney’s Office in Rhode Ireland said: “Gavin has been detained in federal custody since his arrest in New Jersey on January 29, 2025.
“He is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment in U.S. District Court in Providence on March 10, 2025.
“A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
The matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Rhode Island State Police, and US Diplomatic Security Service, it was added.