Bridgeport Woman Part Of $2 Million Fraud Conspiracy: Feds

WASHINGTON, DC —An indictment charging a District of Columbia man and Connecticut woman with creating an advance fee and investment fraud scheme that defrauded more than 20 victims of more than $2 million was unsealed Monday, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prosecutors claim Paul Maucha, 56, of Washington, D.C., and Melisa Shapiro, 63, of Bridgeport, conspired in a scheme involving a shell company they controlled, American Eagle Services Group (AESG).

Maucha and Shapiro are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. If convicted, they each face up to 30 combined years in prison.

Maucha and Shapiro enriched themselves by falsely promising to provide victims with financing, surety bonds and investing opportunities through AESG in exchange for advance fees, according to the statement.

Maucha and Shapiro falsely claimed that AESG could make multimillion-dollar loans to victims and would convince the victims to pay a refundable "commitment fee" or "due diligence deposit" before the loans would be made.

Because Maucha and Shapiro spent the fees paid by the victims, they did not have the funds to issue refunds when they failed to fund the promised loans.

Maucha and Shapiro are also accused of inducing victims to give AESG money for placement in a high-yield investment program and then misappropriating large portions of the victims’ investments.

Maucha and Shapiro also borrowed funds from at least one victim based on false representations about how the funds would be used and AESG’s ability to repay.

The pair concealed their scheme by lulling victims with false assurances about their promised financial services, AESG’s access to capital, and AESG’s ability to provide refunds, according to the statement.