WASHINGTON, DC, United States — Sereika Savariau, 37, of Montego Bay, Jamaica, was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the victims after creating a series of fraudulent debt relief companies that targeted debt-ridden Americans and tricked the victims into paying fraudulent processing fees and disclosing sensitive personal identifying information.

Savariau, also known as Sereika Savariau-Goodison, pleaded guilty on April 16 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution.

As part of her guilty plea Savariau admitted that, from at least June 2016 through September 2018, she and other conspirators created and operated a series of fraudulent debt relief companies that tricked US citizens into paying bogus processing fees and to disclose personal identifying information and identity documents. One of the fraudulent websites said consumers could receive up to US$60,000 in government-funded aid to pay their bills. Another claimed consumers could receive up to US$25,000 in annual debt relief.

Savariau admitted that through their false representations she and her co-conspirators tried to defraud US victims out of more than US$550,000. More than 50 individuals sent money to conspirators because of the scheme, most commonly through Western Union, believing the funds were service processing fees.

Savariau and her conspirators took advantage of people who were desperate to have their outstanding bills paid and improve their financial situation. Thinking they were to receive government-funded debt relief, victims eagerly sent their sensitive personal and financial information and paid exorbitant “processing fees” – approximately 14 per cent of the requested debt relief. The nature of the scheme caused many victims to be victimised multiple times.

Conspirators also fraudulently used the victims’ personal identifying information for other illegal purposes. In one example, a victim’s information was used to create a PayPal account for use in the scheme. The information was also used to apply for and obtain an American Express prepaid credit card. A different victim’s name and address were used to register one of their fraudulent debt relief sites.

Savariau’s conduct directly violated a prior judicial order issued in September 2015 that, among other things, permanently restrained her and those working with her from misrepresenting to others that they would substantially reduce consumers’ debts.

Savariau was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021, arrested in Jamaica in July 2023, and extradited to the United States in September 2023.