In a notable federal case, Sereika Savariau, a Jamaican national, has been sentenced to three years in prison for orchestrating a fraudulent debt relief scheme that preyed on financially strapped Americans, as per an announcement by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sally Luttrell of the Treasury Department's Office of Inspector General, reported by the Department of Justice.
Savariau, who also goes by Sereika Savariau-Goodison, confessed to the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution on April 16, 2024, and U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered her to pay restitution to the victims, between June 2016 and September 2018 she alongside other conspirators established a string of fake debt relief companies that duped citizens into shelling out for non-existent processing fees and to give up their personal information. Through deceptive websites, the victims were promised up to $60,000 in government aid or up to $25,000 in annual debt relief, according to plea admissions obtained by authorities.
Over $550,000 was sought by these fraudulent activities with over 50 individuals caught in the web, most using Western Union to send what they believed were necessary fees for their financial salvation, victims were led to believe that they'd receive substantial help for their debts, a cruel exploitation of their hope and vulnerability.
The scam extended beyond mere false promises, turning to the outright theft of identities for creating PayPal accounts and registering their scam sites, one victim's information even used to apply for and obtain an American Express pre-paid credit card which speaks to how deeply Savariau and her cohorts were willing to sink into illegality. Moreover, this conduct directly flouted a September 2015 court order by Judge Reggie B. Walton, which had clearly banned her from such deceptive practices, highlighting a brazen disregard for law and order.
Following an indictment in December 2021, Savariau was arrested in July 2023 in Jamaica and extradited in September of the same year, the success of which was aided by the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs, with the investigative efforts including the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Inspector General, the Justice Department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and prosecutors Trial Attorneys Louisa Becker, Ashley Pungello, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman.
