A 37-year-old Jamaican woman has been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution to victims after orchestrating a series of fraudulent debt relief companies that targeted financially vulnerable Americans.
The scam deceived victims into paying bogus processing fees and disclosing sensitive personal information.
The woman, identified as Sereika Savariau, also known as Sereika Savariau-Goodison, a resident of Montego Bay, pleaded guilty on April 16 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution.
As part of her guilty plea, Savariau admitted that from June 2016 through September 2018, she and her co-conspirators set up a network of fake debt relief companies. These companies promised to help U.S. citizens pay off their debts but instead charged fraudulent processing fees and collected personal identifying information from unsuspecting victims.
One of the fraudulent websites falsely claimed that consumers could receive up to $60,000 in government-funded aid to pay their bills. Another site offered up to $25,000 in annual debt relief. Through these false promises, Savariau and her accomplices attempted to defraud U.S. victims of more than $550,000.
More than 50 individuals fell prey to the scheme, sending money—usually through Western Union—believing they were paying for legitimate debt relief services. According to a release from U.S. officials, the funds were intended as processing fees.
“Savariau and her conspirators took advantage of people who were desperate to have their outstanding bills paid and improve their financial situation. Thinking they were to receive government-funded debt relief, victims eagerly sent their sensitive personal and financial information and paid exorbitant ‘processing fees’—approximately 14% of the requested debt relief. The nature of the scheme caused many victims to be victimized multiple times,” the release stated.
In addition to the fraudulent fees, conspirators used the victims’ personal information for other illegal purposes. For example, one victim’s information was used to create a PayPal account, and in another instance, the information was used to apply for an American Express prepaid credit card. Additionally, one victim’s name and address were fraudulently used to register one of the fake debt relief websites.
Savariau’s actions directly violated a judicial order issued in September 2015, which had permanently barred her and her associates from making misrepresentations about reducing consumers’ debts.
In December 2021, Savariau was indicted by a federal grand jury. She was arrested in Jamaica in July 2023 and extradited to the United States in September 2023, where she was brought to the Washington, D.C. area to face charges.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Inspector General, the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided crucial assistance in securing Savariau’s arrest and extradition.
Trial Attorneys Louisa Becker and Ashley Pungello of CCIPS, alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman for the District of Columbia, prosecuted the case.
