According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, a Mexican woman has been sentenced to time served, which amounts to approximately 13 months, for her involvement in a scheme that defrauded timeshare owners.
The U.S. attorney’s office has revealed that Shadia Melissa Aguilar Sarmiento, 30, worked together with others in a fraudulent scheme that aimed to deceive timeshare owners in the U.S. and Canada.
The operation, which was based in Mexico, utilized various business names such as Club World Travel, Luxury Destinations, DeRemate, and Smart Travel to deceive timeshare owners.
The office reported that individuals pretending to be company representatives approached people with offers to purchase timeshares.
They made sure to maintain credibility by referring owners to attorneys, using the identities of real licensed lawyers without their consent, the office added.
Conspirators used fraudulent letterhead to deceive sellers by sending them purchase agreements. These agreements listed false purchase prices and falsely assured the sellers that they would be reimbursed for any transfer fees.
The office noted that many owners signed the agreements believing that the deals were legitimate.
Members of the scheme then assumed the roles of Mexican government officials and deceitfully requested payments for taxes and fees before allowing the transactions to proceed.
According to court documents, victims were asked to wire funds to accounts controlled by the fraudsters. However, they were then requested to make additional payments.
The office stated that this cycle continued until owners ceased making payments.
Between December 2018 and January 2021, Aguilar Sarmiento participated in a scheme that resulted in over 50 timeshare owners being victimized, resulting in a collective loss of approximately $2 million, according to the office.
As part of her sentence, Aguilar Sarmiento has been ordered to pay restitution of $2,065,852.85 to the timeshare owners who were victimized, the office has confirmed.
