A 41-year-old woman from Scarborough, Ontario, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud in New York.
On [no date provided], Sheila Offor, 41, of Scarborough, Ontario, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Cantil, Offor and others conspired to defraud individuals seeking loans and to obtain money from these individuals between July 2005 and May 2011.
In furtherance of the scheme, a number of individuals established websites for fictitious financial services companies offering to arrange loans to U.S. residents with credit problems. Applicants provided their names, phone numbers, state of residence, requested loan amount, and approximate credit scores.
Applicants were then contacted by persons posing as company representatives and told that a lender would be contacted for approval. When informed that a loan was arranged, applicants were instructed to sign and return a loan agreement, provide bank account information, and pay an “insurance deposit” for the lender to process the loan.
Offor served as a payee in this scheme and traveled from Canada to the United States, picked up wired funds, and transported them back to Canada. The monies were then delivered to other individuals who were managing the scheme. Applicants never received the loans, but they were often coerced into making multiple deposits under various pretexts.
In total, the defendant received $134,172.60 in fraudulent “insurance deposits” from 77 different victims.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 24, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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