U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Woman Previously Convicted in Fraud Scheme Admits to Defrauding the Federal Housing Administration, Business and Unemployment COVID Relief Programs (USAO D-RI 03/02/2022) (2022-03-03)
Summary
A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Rhode Island, dated March 2, 2022, announcing that Juliana Martins of North Providence, who was on federal supervised release at the time, pleaded guilty to false statement on a loan application and theft of government property. Martins admitted giving false explanations of employment gaps when applying for an FHA-guaranteed loan and failing to disclose a $385,533 federal restitution order; an FHA-insured mortgage of $265,109 was then issued. Martins also admitted a fraudulent July 2020 application for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan and receiving COVID-related unemployment benefits while employed as an office manager. In total, Martins received over $40,000 in COVID relief benefits. Sentencing is scheduled for August 4, 2022.
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“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Woman Previously Convicted in Fraud Scheme Admits to Defrauding the Federal Housing Administration, Business and Unemployment COVID Relief Programs (USAO D-RI 03/02/2022) (2022-03-03).”
Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-woman-previously-convicted-in-fraud-scheme-68140d2cb1/
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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Rhode Island
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Woman Previously Convicted in Fraud Scheme Admits to
Defrauding the Federal Housing Administration, Business
and Unemployment COVID Relief Programs
PROVIDENCE – A North Providence woman today admitted in federal court that she provided false
information to a mortgage lender when applying for a Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-
backed mortgage, and that she fraudulently applied for a COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan
(EIDL) and unemployment insurance benefits under both the Families First Coronavirus Response
Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, announced
United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Juliana Martins, 53, who was on federal supervised release at the time of the charged fraudulent
activities, pleaded guilty to false statement on a loan application and theft of government property.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4, 2022.
At the time of her guilty plea, Martins admitted to the court that while on federal supervised release
for her role in a stolen identity refund scheme, as well as while on state probation for an unrelated
2014 conviction for forgery and counterfeiting, she applied for an FHA-guaranteed loan. As part of
the application process, she provided false explanations as to her gaps in employment while serving
her federal sentence, claiming she was unemployed due to a “family emergency.” Martins also failed
to disclose the fact that she was subject to a $385,533 federal restitution order.
Following the application, Martins and a co-borrower were issued an FHA-insured mortgage in the
amount of $265,109.
Additionally, Martins admitted that in July 2020, she submitted a fraudulent application for a Small
Business Administration (SBA) low-interest COVID-related Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL),
falsely claiming that she was an independent contractor in the health service business, and that her
business had been impacted by the pandemic. Finally, Martins admitted that she fraudulently
applied for and received COVID-related unemployment insurance benefits while she was in fact
employed as an office manager in April 2020. In total, Martins received over $40,000 in COVID
relief benefits to which she was not entitled.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Michael Seaman and Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of
Inspector General; U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General; FBI; and Rhode Island
State Police, with the assistance of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
Unemployment Insurance Fraud Unit.
Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently
obtain unemployment benefits are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police
at financialcrimes@risp.gov or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310.
On May 17, 2021, the United States Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement
Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across
government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force
bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal
actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among
other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying
resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and
harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on
the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
###
Topic(s): Contact:
Coronavirus Jim Martin (401) 709-5357
Financial Fraud
Press Release Number:
Component(s): 22-41
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
USAO - Rhode Island
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