A woman is facing 34 counts of bank fraud for falsely claiming she could help individuals and organizations secure federal grants to build assisted living communities and affordable housing, according to the Justice Department.
Ana Luisa Martin-Alfaro faces forfeiture of $779,135, which represents the amount of proceeds obtained through the alleged fraud, and a maximum 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The indictment through U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow alleges that beginning in 2013, Martin-Alfaro devised a scheme using several companies under her control to defraud a number of financial institutions by means of false and fraudulent pretenses.
According to the indictment, Martin-Alfaro made false representations regarding her ability to navigate the federal grant process by claiming she was certified by federal agencies to receive filing fees and disbursements to complete grant applications. She required potential clients to write checks payable to several organizations that she falsely claimed were not associated with her, including Federal Funds Organization, International Federal Faith Based Consultants and Educational Service Corp., Federal Consulting Service Corp. and Community Helpers.
Martin-Alfaro also is accused of making material omissions to potential clients, who were unaware that these organizations were created by her, that she had sole custody and control of bank accounts belonging to these organizations, and that she would use these funds for transactions unrelated to the grant writing process. Instead, the Justice Department said, she falsely represented that funds were deposited in federal accounts that were audited and used exclusively for the grant application process.
Instead of using the funds to help people build senior housing, Martin-Alfaro allegedly used funds deposited into those accounts to support her personal lifestyle, including spending on retail, food, travel, entertainment and auto expenses. She also allegedly used funds to pay for office expenses, utilities and project expenses “to deceive her clients into believing that the grant application process would be ultimately successful.”
The financial institutions Martin-Alfaro is accused of defrauding include Banco Popular, Santander Bank, FirstBank Puerto Rico, TD Bank Oriental Bank and USAA Federal Savings Bank.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was in charge of the investigation.
