“Generally, it seems like scam artists of all kinds, shapes and sizes, using different kinds of methods, whether it’s the internet or the mail, seem to be targeting our island. This is not the first instance that we’ve seen an unfortunate situation,” O’Malley told the Variety.
“If it’s too good to be true, it’s almost certainly not true. We want to send a message to the broader community that they should be very suspicious of anything that promises free money,” he added.
O’Malley made the statement in the wake of the indictment of former special assistant to the secretary of Department of Public Lands Franz Reksid who borrowed up to $300,000 from friends, relatives and associates in hopes of cashing in from persons he met on the internet claiming to be based in Ivory Coast and Nigeria who promised a quick rich-scheme.
Reksid accepted a bribe from a contractor doing business with a federally funded project and wired the money to Africa, the prosecution said.
His trial is set for July 11 at the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
O’Malley said it’s very difficult to pursue the scammers because they are beyond U.S. jurisdiction.
Last year, O’Malley also prosecuted the case of NMI and Guam attorney Danilo T. Aguilar who was accused of money laundering after he cashed a fraudulent cashier’s check for $184,947.49 that he deposited in his bank account.
Aguilar claimed he received the fraudulent check after responding to an email solicitation which turned out to be part of an international scheme targeting attorneys.
The check issued to Aguilar had no sufficient funds.
Aguilar entered into a plea agreement and his license as attorney was suspended.
