THE U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the NMI has accused the former CNMI Bar Association executive director, Peonie Cabrera, of bank and wire fraud.
According to the information filed in federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O’Malley on Tuesday, Cabrera was charged with two counts of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud.
CNMI Bar Association President Charity Hodson declined to comment.
Count one: bank fraud
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “Beginning on or about April 4, 2019, and continuing to on or about May 4, 2023 in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands, defendant Peonie Cabrera knowingly executed a scheme to obtain money, funds, and other property under the custody and control of a financial institution, by means of false and fraudulent pretenses and representations, to wit, by writing and cashing checks made payable to herself and drawn upon a bank account at the Bank of Hawaii belonging to the Northern Marianas Bar Association, knowing that she had no right to said money, funds, and property, in violation of title 18, United States Code, Section 1344(2).”
Count two: bank fraud
“Beginning on or about September 20, 2019, and continuing to on or about March 12, 2020, in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands, defendant Peonie Cabrera knowingly executed a scheme to obtain money, funds, and other property under the custody and control of a financial institution, by means of false and fraudulent pretenses and representations, to wit, by submitting a falsified signature card and then making cash withdrawals from a bank account at the Bank of Guam belonging to the Northern Marianas Bar Association, knowing that she had no right to said money, funds, and property, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344(2),” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Count three: wire fraud
“Beginning on or about April 14, 2020, and continuing to on or about June 11, 2021, in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands, defendant Peonie Cabrera devised a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money and property by means of false and fraudulent representations, and caused to be transmitted a writing or signal by means of wire communication in interstate commerce for the purpose of executing such scheme and artifice, to wit, by causing wire transfers of money from accounts belonging to the Northern Marianas Bar Association at the Bank of Hawaii, to a third-party payment company, which money was then diverted to her own personal use, knowing that she had no right to said money, funds, and property, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Count four: wire fraud
“Beginning on or about June 18, 2021, and continuing to on or about February 24, 2023, in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands, defendant Peonie Cabrera devised a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money and property by means of false and fraudulent representations, and caused to be transmitted a writing or signal by means of wire communication in interstate commerce for the purpose of executing such scheme and artifice, to wit, by using false and fraudulent representations to cause members of the Northern Mariana Bar Association members to make wire transfers of money into third-party payment accounts owned and controlled by defendant, which money was for her own personal use, knowing that she had no right to said money, funds, and property, in violation of title 18, United States Code, Section 1343,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
No other information about the case was available as of press time Tuesday evening.
