Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 15, 2022 Adult Foster Care of the North Shore Donates 40 Lbs. of Hygiene Products to Beverly Bootstraps GLOUCESTER – Adult Foster Care of the North Shore (AFCNS) recently donated 40 pounds of feminine hygiene products to Beverly Bootstraps. The products will be made available to people who would otherwise not be able to afford them. Cynthia Bjorlie, M.D., Program Director of Adult Foster Care of the North Shore, said, “This donation will make an enormous difference for many women and families in our community, and we are glad to be able to help.” AFCNS is a MassHealth funded program that supports home living for adults with disabilities. Adult Foster Care of the North Shore provides a wide range of solutions for its clients and their caregivers living at home by supporting the client with the disability and paying a monthly stipend to the caregiver. About Adult Foster Care of the North Shore Adult Foster Care of the North Shore was founded in 2001 to provide financial, emotional and clinical support solutions for families who are in need of care for a loved one with a disability or chronic illness. AFCNS is a single-focused agency that is dedicated to keeping clients at home. For more information, please visit www.adultfostercarens.com Wante joins The Savings Bank as Senior VP – Human Resources WAKEFIELD – Laura J. Wante of Methuen recently joined The Savings Bank (TSB) as Senior Vice President – Human Resources with responsibility for managing and overseeing all human resources functions at TSB, including recruiting, employee relations, developing and maintaining staff compensation structures, updating job descriptions and developing and implementing training programs and opportunities for TSB staff, among other related responsibilities. Laura has more than 25 years of human resources experience in various industries, including financial, manufacturing and sales. Before joining TSB in fall 2021, she worked at the Merrimack Valley Credit Union in Lawrence, where she held positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as Senior Vice President, Human Resources. She has also been associated with Hesser College in Salem, N.H., as an instructor. Laura received her MBA with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Rivier College of Nashua, N.H., and her Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science from Bridgewater State University. She has completed specialized training at the Credit Union Executives Society’s CEO Institute, where she earned her Certified Chief Executive designation, and the Disney Institute, where she completed The Disney Approach to People Management program. Her professional and civic affiliations include membership in the Society for Human Resource Management, YWCA Board of Directors, North Shore Human Resources Group Chair, and St. Rita’s Sodality. “We welcome Laura Wante to The Savings Bank as Senior Vice President – Human Resources,” TSB President/ CEO Bob DiBella said. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in human resources and compliance, both in the financial services industry as well as private industry. We look forward to working with Laura in her new position at The Savings Bank.” Saugus woman pleads guilty to nationwide rideshare and delivery account fraud scheme (Editor’s Note: The following story is based on a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston.) A Saugus woman has confessed to her involvement with a nationwide conspiracy to open fraudulent driver accounts with rideshare and delivery service companies. Priscila Barbosa, 35, this week pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Barbosa also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for Aug. 4. Barbosa was charged last year along with 18 codefendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud by using stolen identities and falsified documents to create fraudulent driver accounts for rent or sale to individuals who might not otherwise qualify to drive for the rideshare or delivery services. According to the charging documents, the defendant allegedly used victims’ identifying information to apply for driver accounts with the rideshare and delivery companies – enabling her to pass the companies’ required background checks and create driver accounts in victims’ names. She also allegedly obtained victims’ names, dates of birth, driver’s license information and/or Social Security numbers from coconspirators and other sources, including sites on the “darknet.” Barbosa and coconspirators also obtained driver’s license images directly from victims, by photographing victims’ licenses while completing an alcohol delivery through one of the services or while exchanging information with victims following vehicle accidents, some of which defendants or coconspirators allegedly intentionally caused in order to obtain license information. As a result of the scheme, Internal Revenue Service Forms 1099 were generated in victims’ names for income that conspirators earned from the rideshare and delivery companies. In connection with the scheme, Barbosa obtained driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers that she and her coconspirators procured from the “darknet” and other sources. She then used these stolen identifiers to create and apply for numerous fraudulent accounts with the rideshare and delivery companies and supplied these identifiers to other coconspirators who also created fraudulent accounts. To circumvent facial recognition technology utilized by rideshare and delivery companies as a security measure, Barbosa edited victims’ driver’s license images to display photos of the drivers renting or buying the fraudulent accounts. In total, Barbosa admitted to creating over 2,000 fraudulent rideshare accounts. Barbosa also advertised fraudulent driver accounts for rent and purchase to potential drivers, including via WhatsApp chat groups targeted to Brazilian nationals living in the United States. Barbosa managed the fraudulent accounts she rented out, specifically by collecting rental payments and troubleshooting issues that arose. Additionally, Barbosa used fraudulent driver accounts to exploit referral bonus programs offered by the rideshare and delivery companies and used “bots” and GPS “spoofing” technology to increase the income earned from the companies. Barbosa received over approximately $791,000 from the scheme in the form of rental payments from individuals driving under these accounts and payments from the companies generated with these accounts. Sixteen of the defendants have been arrested in connection with the conspiracy and three remain at large. Barbosa is the fifth defendant to plead guilty in the case. If you believe that you might be a victim of the allegations in this case, please visit https://www.justice. gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/us-vwemerson-dutra-aguiar-andus-v-priscila-barbosa-et-al. The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a sentence of at least two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Rachael Rollins and the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, Joseph Bonavolonta, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; the Concord, Lexington, Plymouth, Wilmington, Marlborough and Village of Rye Brook (N.Y.) Police Departments; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the National Crime Insurance Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Kearney and David Holcomb of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
19 Publizr Home