CONCORD Six individuals have been charged in federal court in New Hampshire with participating in a fraudulent loan scheme, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
An indictment returned by a federal grand jury alleges that between January and July of 2019, the defendants executed a scheme to defraud several financial institutions in New Hampshire. The defendants applied for and obtained multiple loans to purchase cars purportedly sold by Allied Imports, a Manchester car wholesaler, and Caps Auto Sales, a Manchester car retailer. Solomon Yarteh was the President of Allied Imports and Robesteur St. Felix was the CEO of Caps Auto Sales. The indictment alleges that the sales were fraudulent because the defendants never owned or greatly inflated the value of the cars. In total, the defendants allegedly defrauded the financial institutions of several hundred thousand dollars. According to the indictment, some defendants then transferred, wired, or withdrew the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds in violation of federal anti-money laundering laws.
Solomon Yarteh, 47, of Sierra Leone;
Robesteur St. Felix, 46, of Manchester, New Hampshire;
Niurka Lebron, 44, previously of Boston, Massachusetts;
Donna Marie Silva, 43, of Lowell, Massachusetts;
Arthur Beckett, 35, of Covington, Georgia; and
Amara Jalloh, 41, of Sierra Leone.
All six have been charged with bank fraud. Yarteh, St. Felix, and Silva also are charged with money laundering offenses.
Defendants St. Felix, Silva, and Beckett each have been arrested and released pending trial, which has been scheduled for October 5, 2021. The remaining three defendants have not yet been arrested.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the New Hampshire Banking Department. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Alexander S. Chen and Assistant United States Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Secret Service