Sonata Bastien of Massachusetts used a male alter-ego to scam clients into paying a supposedly ‘refundable’ upfront fee for a mortgage, before transferring money into one of 18 bank accounts she held.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that Bastien operated under the name Sean Chase and used the stolen funds to make purchases at guitar shops, supermarkets, petrol stations and branches of Dunkin’ Donuts.
Authorities are searching the New York and New Jersey areas of the country for Bastien, 30, who faces up to 20 years in prison for seven counts of mail fraud.