Crime & Safety
North Providence Woman Lied About Past To Get Mortgage: Feds
Juliana Martins, 52, did prison time for fraud and owed the government $385K. She allegedly failed to mention that detail to the bank.
PROVIDENCE, RI — A North Providence woman under a federal court order to pay nearly $400,000 in restitution for fraud allegedly failed to mention that detail in a mortgage application. If convicted of new charges, Juliana Martins, 52, must forfeit her home and property to the federal government, an indictment states.
North Providence tax assessor's records show Martins as a co-owner of 8 Angelo Ave., a single-family ranch house. The house and property, assessed at $278,600, was purchased in 2019 for $270,000.
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Prosecutors say that Martins in that year represented to a mortgage lender that there were no outstanding judgments against her, when if fact she owed the government $385,533.58. Back in 2014, Martins admitted that she led a criminal enterprise that stole identities from hundreds of people, and used that information to open bank accounts where fraudulently obtained government checks were deposited. At the time, she was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution.
A federal grand jury on Friday returned an indictment charging Martins with making false statements on bank loan applications, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Richard B. Myrus and investigators with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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Martins lied about her credit report, assets, liabilities, and income to a mortgage lender, the indictment states. She allegedly told the bank that a gap in her employment had to do with a family emergency, when in fact she was incarcerated in federal prison. Martins also allegedly lied to the Department of Justice about her credit report.
Martins is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan on Tuesday for a supervised release violation hearing.
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