THE FOLLOWING IS TAKEN FROM A U.S. POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION:
Carmen Nannette Olivo-Vega and Tatiana Eremeev, two members
of a business-credit fraud ring were convicted on charges of Conspiracy to
Commit Wire Fraud, Access Device Fraud and Possession of Access Device Making
Equipment after a four week trial in Federal District Court for the Southern
District Of New York, before Judge Barbara Jones, for their participation
in a massive, $15 million credit fraud and bust-out scheme.
The leaders of the fraud ring, Victor Einhorn, Alex Roitman
and Menachem Stern were videotaped using aliases while engaged in a fraudulent
business deal, in an undercover operation by the Inspection Service utilizing
a briefcase camera. Subsequently,
the leaders of the ring each pled guilty before trial to recommended sentences
of 46 to 121 months incarceration. However, this meant that the government was
faced with proving the extremely complicated fraud scheme against two of the
lowest level defendants arrested in the case.
Proving and explaining the scheme itself was a difficult
task because it had many different elements and lasted from 1998 to 2001. Among other things, the scheme involved purchasing
and operating sham travel agencies on a bust-out basis (e.g., purchasing a
travel agency and selling thousands of airline tickets while switching the
form of payment to fraudulent credit cards that they controlled; enabling
them to collect payment from the customers’ credit card using their array
of credit-card merchant accounts, then closing up shop and moving to another
location before the airlines could attempt collection, taking the remaining
blank, ticket stock with them.) They
also leased office and technology equipment on a bust-out basis (e.g., leasing
equipment for 6 months, then based on the developed credit, leasing a second
round of equipment then selling it all to third parties, pocketing the difference
between the full value of the equipment), and credit card fraud on a massive
scale, using an array of credit card merchant accounts, many corresponding
to their sham travel agencies while others were just dummy corporations and
businesses set up specifically for use in the scheme.
To add to these challenges, Eremeev, the bookkeeper and Olivo,
a licensed travel agent, were extremely sympathetic, white-collar defendants.
Although they were instrumental in the fraud, both were immigrants,
single-divorced women, who acted under the direction of others, and made almost
nothing from the fraud beyond their salaries.
Additionally, both defendants decided to take the stand in their own
defense and Judge Jones permitted each to devote most of their testimony to
the hardships they suffered in life, such as: losing a child, abusive husbands
and boyfriends, health problems, parental neglect, tyrannical abuse at the
office by Einhorn, as well as an alleged suicide attempt by Eremeev prior
to her arrest.
At trial three Postal Inspectors were called to give testimony,
as well as a host of credit analysts from financing companies from throughout
the nation, equipment inspectors, airline security managers from the U.S.
and Canada, bank investigators from
several major banking institutions and individual victims. Two defendants were previously sentenced in
this case. The remaining six defendants
are scheduled to be sentenced from January through July 2003. Forfeiture of multiple Manhattan apartments
and condos, commercial real estate, precious jewels, cash and office equipment
are expected to help repay victims under the Court’s anticipated Order of
Restitution.
VICTIMS ARE ADVISED TO CONTACT U.S. PROBATION OFFICER JOHN
CLAUDE BAPTISTE REGARDING RESTITUTION CLAIMS AT (212) 805-5187 Reference Victor
Einhorn, docket # 01-Cr.939.
ARREST DATA:
Arrested on February 20, 2002
Alex Roitman (DOB 1/17/1963) AKA “Jecob Fredman, Sam, , Michael
Rosen, Thomas Dewitt” and others. Guilty Plea before trial. Sentenced to 63 months imprisonment and 3 yrs
Probation.
Tatiana Eremeev (DOB 07/23/1962) AKA Sara Goldberger, Samantha
Davis, Sally Murray. Convicted at Trial 12/9/02 of Conspiracy to Committ Access
Device & Wire Fraud and separate count of Access Device Fraud. Sentenced to 37 months imprisonment and 3 yrs
Probation.
Arrested on January 30, 2002
Menachem “Mendy / Mark” Stern, AKA “Jecob Fredman, Dovid
Fox, Thomas Dewitt” and others (DOB 3/4/1974)
Guilty Plea before trial. Sentenced to 37 months imprisonment, and
3 years Probation.
Arrested on May 14, 2002
Michelle Cohen (DOB: 1964) AKA “Mikki Green, Samantha Davis”
Guilty Plea to Wire Fraud and Conspiracy 5/14/02.
Arrested on April 4, 2001 were:
Victor Einhorn , DOB: 12/17/1950 (AKAs too many to list). Guilty Plea before Trial to Conspiracy, Access
Device Fraud, Possession of Access Device Making Equipment, Wire Fraud and
Counterfeit Checks.
Carmen Nannette Olivo, DOB: 3/19/1965, (AKA “Annette/Lynette
Vega, Annette Vaj, Dannette Durcal” Convicted at Trial of Conspiracy to Commit
Access Device Fraud and Wire Fraud on 12/9/02 and sentenced to 37 months imprisonment
and 3 yrs Probation.
Arrested in 1998:
Leiby Goldberger (DOB: 12/30/1967, Pled Guilty in 2000 to
Access Device Fraud and sentenced 4/7/00
Chaim Ruttner (DOB: 8/24/1974, Pled Guilty in 2000 to Access
Device Fraud and sentenced 4/7/00
Fugitive(s): Moses David Matyas AKA “Alexander Brichta” (DOB: 6/24/1962, SS:089-62-0583, alias DOB 2/3/1955, fugitive in Israel since 11/1998).