NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) – A Bronx woman admitted to fraudulently obtaining over $200,000 worth of Apple iPhones earlier this week, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Rosanna Lucrecia Cruel Blanco, 39, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Clair C. Cecchi to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
According to court documents, from December 2017 to January 2020, Blanco and her conspirators devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain replacement cellular phones from an insurance company by assuming the identities of wireless customers and filing false claims under the company's handset insurance program.
The handsets were predominantly Apple iPhones with a value of approximately $700 to $1,000 per handset, according to statements made in court.
Blanco and her conspirators contacted the company, posed as legitimate customers, and submitted false claims for damage, theft, or loss on hundreds of handsets owned by the customers, officials said.
Blanco and her conspirators provided false identification – typically a fake New York or New Jersey driver's license falsified to reflect the name of the legitimate customer.
They also provided the company with new shipping contact names and addresses that were different from the actual customer names and addresses.
The new shipping addresses included locations in the Bronx, Yonkers, White Plains, Manhattan, and various locations in New Jersey.
Based on the false claims and the fake identifications, replacement cell phones were shipped to the new contact names and addresses provided by Blanco and her conspirators then picked up by them, officials said.
Over 100 replacement cellular telephones were shipped to Blanco and her conspirators and total losses exceeded $200,000, court documents noted.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2021.
