Scamming the Faithful: Adriano Sotomayor’s Descent into Wire Fraud

Adriano Sotomayor, a 54-year-old Margate, New Jersey resident, has pleaded guilty to 17 counts of wire fraud in a scheme that targeted members of the Dominican Sisters of the Rosary of Fatima and others.

The scam, which took place between May 2009 and February 2012, saw Sotomayor induce an elderly nun to believe she had been named in a will as the beneficiary of an estate estimated at approximately $2.1 million.

To lure the nun into the scheme, Sotomayor posed as a Catholic priest from New Jersey, telling her that the man who notified her about the will was a priest and the testator was one of his parishioners.

Sotomayor then fraudulently induced the nun to send money to him in Atlantic City, New Jersey, claiming she needed to pay taxes, processing fees, and various legal fees associated with the fictitious will.

Over a two-year period, Sotomayor’s scheme caused at least 50 victims to send a total of at least $1.3 million from Pennsylvania and elsewhere to him in New Jersey.

The defendant received wire transfers at various locations, including the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, the Showboat Hotel and Casino, and Bally’s Park Place.

U.S. District Court Judge Eduardo C. Robreno has scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 12, 2013, and Sotomayor faces a possible advisory sentencing guideline range of 70 to 188 months in prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen M. Klotz.

Adriano Sotomayor, 54, of Margate, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud members of the Dominican Sisters of the Rosary of Fatima, and others, between May 2009 and February 2012.

Sotomayor was captured by the FBI Fugitive Squad in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 27, 2012, after going on the run on November 16, 2011, one day after he was indicted.

Defendant: Adriano Sotomayor

Criminal Charges: 17 counts of wire fraud

City and State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Exact Date: May 2009 – February 2012 (scheme), November 16, 2011 (indicted), February 27, 2012 (arrested)

Sentence or Outcome: 70 to 188 months in prison (possible advisory sentencing guideline range)

Dollar Amounts: $2.1 million (estimated value of estate), $1.3 million (total amount sent to Sotomayor)

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