Woman Pleads Guilty in White Plains Federal Court to Operating a Long-Term Fraud Scheme

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Alicia Holmes pled guilty yesterday to a three-count indictment, charging Holmes with devising and operating a scheme to defraud individuals and entities of hundreds of thousands of dollars in accommodations, goods, services, and money. Holmes pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of providing a false address in furtherance of fraud today in White Plains federal court before U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas, who set a sentencing date for June 24, 2013.

According to the allegations in the indictment filed in White Plains federal court:

From at least in or about April 2007 through in or about May 2011, Holmes made false and fraudulent representations to hotel managers and staff, real estate brokers, property builders, home owners, and school administrators, among others, through e-mails, telephone calls, and letters, including statements that:

• she owned and/or was in the process of purchasing certain high-end properties, including homes valued between approximately $6,255,000 and $17,000,000;
• she had assets of great value that she would gain access to in as soon as a few days;
• she required financial assistance from the victims until she was in possession of those assets; and
• once she was in possession of her purported assets, she would use those assets to purchase certain high-end properties from some of the victims or to pay money that she owed to the victims.

Holmes did not have or reasonably expect to have access to assets of great value, did not own any high-end properties, and knew that her representations were false at the time she made them.

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Holmes, 49, is eligible for enhanced penalties at sentencing because she continued her offense while on pretrial release. She faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 65 years, fines of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss resulting from the offense, restitution to victims, and forfeiture of the proceeds of her offenses.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ilan Graff, Lee Renzin, and Anna M. Skotko are in charge of the criminal prosecution.

If you think you may have been a victim in this case or have additional information, please call Postal Inspector Patricia Thornton at 914-993-1930.