Hamptons Couple Indicted In Elder Fraud Scheme: U.S. Attorney

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A Southampton couple was arrested Thursday morning in an elder fraud scheme that targeted thousands, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

John and Mara Ficarra were indicted Thursday and if convicted, their home on Delaria Ave. is subject to forfeiture, a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Mara Ficarra, 54, is set to be arraigned Thursday before Magistrate Judge Arlene Lindsay; John Ficarra, 53, was taken to the hospital and will likely be arraigned there, not at the federal courthouse, officials said.

An indictment was unsealed Thursday in federal court in Central Islip, charging the Ficarras with conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York division, who announced the charges.

“The defendants preyed upon some of the most vulnerable members of our
community, stealing their personal information and defrauding financial institutions,” United States Attorney Donoghue said. “Protecting the elderly from financial fraud remains a priority of the Department of Justice.”

Donoghue also thanked the Southampton Town Police Department for its assistance with the arrests.

“The Ficarras exploited victims by fraudulently using their bank routing numbers
and bank account number to produce counterfeit checks,” Bartlett said. “The checks were then deposited into accounts they controlled. Once the checks cleared, they withdrew the funds to the tune of more than $1 million.”

According to a post by NY1 earlier in December, some of the elderly targeted reached out to Remington Biographies, asking that their money be refunded.

"I am a 90-year old man who lives alone," one letter printed in the NY1 post read. "On or about December 12, 2017 I responded to a letter you wrote to me. I sent you a check... for $14...You used that information to charge that same checking account for $1,825. As you can see, this is more than twice my monthly income."

The Ficarras owned, operated and held senior management positions in various
companies, including Remington Biographies, Inc., Remington Bookkeepers, Inc., and
Mentorship America1, Inc.— collectively, the “Remington Entities” — feds said. The Remington Entities purported to publish reference publications containing biographical information of individuals across the country, including “Inspiring the Youth of America” and “The Remington Registry of Outstanding Professionals," the release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The indictment alleged that from 2013 to the present, the Ficarras caused letters
and pamphlets to be mailed to victims, primarily the elderly, indicating that the their
biographies would be published in one of the reference publications, the release said.

The letters, addressed “Dear nominee,” said, “Your 2 books and your plaque are paid for in full and ready for delivery. Please send a check for $14.00 dollars for shipping and handling,” the release said.

The pamphlet described the publication and said, in part: “The Remington Registry of Outstanding Professionals is more than a website, more than a book, more than a biographical index and certainly more than a who’s who. It is the ultimate expression of achievements, hardships, and dedication that professionals have made in their lives and careers. . . .Sit back and be ready for a wonderful experience," the release said.

The mailings "induced thousands of victims to send checks as payment for inclusion in the reference publications," the release said.

The Ficarras then used the routing and bank account information on those checks to produce fraudulent checks for larger dollar amounts, which they then deposited into bank accounts they controlled at Citibank, Everbank, HSBC, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo, among other financial institutions; the Ficarras promptly withdrew cash from the accounts, stealing more than $1 million dollars from the victim subscribers and financial institutions, the U.S. Attorney said.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Catherine M. Mirabile is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Madeline O’Connor of the Office’s Civil Division, which is responsible for the forfeiture of assets, the release said.

Long Island federal defenders Randi Chavis, representing Mara Ficarra, and Mark Goidell, representing John Ficarra, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Patch file photo.