Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Trini E. Ross and Stephanie O. Lamarque, who are handling the case, stated that between December 2015 and October 2016, the defendant worked with co-defendants Sergiy Bezrukov, Mark Farnham, and Dustin Walker at what purported to be debt-restructuring companies which had various names including “Corporate Restructure.” The defendant herself used alias names, including “Emily Goldstein” and “Rebecca Epstein,” while assisting with the fraudulent debt restructuring businesses.
Cardona trained employees in the mailroom of the Salamanca, NY, office on the operation of NEO Post machines, which were used to create mass mailings of fraudulent solicitation letters that were sent to small business owners. Those letters, which contained fraudulent solicitations to small business owners seeking monies from them in order to assist them in restructuring high-interest loans held by other lenders, originated from New York City, New Jersey, and Salamanca. Such letters directed the small business owners to return documents to Corporate
Co-defendant Dustin Walker has been convicted and is
scheduled to be sentenced on February 2, 2018. Charges remain pending against
Sergiy Bezrukov and Mark Farnham. The fact that a defendant has been charged
with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent
until and unless proven guilty.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the United
States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge
Shelly Binkowski of the Boston Division; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal
Investigations Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special
Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office; and Special Agents of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of
Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.Sentencing is scheduled for April 9, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Vilardo.
