Introduction to COVID Relief Scam
How many people do you know named Sandra Martin? There are at least four women by that name in Broward County, and fraud investigators say one of them used the others to scam the county out of $80,000 of COVID relief funds.
The Investigation Unfolds
Last year, one Sandra Martin got a call from the Broward Sheriff’s Office asking if she was renting out her Deerfield Beach home. “I was very surprised, I had no idea," said the snowbird from Maryland. County records showed her property was being rented out, had a homestead exemption, and thousands of dollars in COVID rental assistance relief funds had been given to the owner. It was one of four properties owned by a Sandra Martin in Broward County – all four received COVID money.
Red Flags and Alarm Bells
Repeated payouts to the same name set off alarm bells for crimes against property investigator Ralph Capone. “This person has multiple properties in Broward County and they’re all homesteaded. Which would never fly coming out of our office," Capone said. "And the more I looked at it, I realized all the other properties are owned by a person with the same name, but they’re all different people.” Different people with different birth dates and social security numbers.
The Suspect and the Scam
Capone says it wasn’t snowbird Sandra Martin from Deerfield Beach who he suspected – it was Sandra Janet Martin from Lauderhill. “She assumed the identity of all these people that owned all these other properties, to apply for rental assistance to the tune of $80,000," Capone said. “We found there were many other Sandra Martins in Broward County who also received money through the rental assistance program, and we were able to figure out that it was that Sandra Martin pretending to be the other Sandra Martins," said Marty Kiar, a Broward County property appraiser.
The Arrest and Charges
Deputies arrested Sandra Janet Martin on Tuesday and charged her with organized scheme to defraud and grand theft five years after detectives say she started receiving the COVID funds. “It’s not fair that money that is needed truly by people that could’ve gone to them and instead went to someone who was defrauding everyone," said Sandra Martin of Deerfield Beach.
The Impact and Prevalence of Fraud
It’s not the first Sandra Martin mixup, but it’s the first time the mixup ended with a Sandra Martin in jail. “It’s kind of scary to see how easy fraud can happen to you, and you don’t know," Sandra Martin said. "There was nothing that would’ve given me any indication that someone was committing fraud using my name and our property here in Florida." Broward County says they have other open investigations into people who committed similar fraud of COVID relief dollars. Sandra Janet Martin is facing five felony charges in this case.
Conclusion
The case of the Broward woman defrauded by another with the same name in a COVID relief scam highlights the importance of vigilance and thorough investigation in preventing and detecting fraud. It also underscores the need for individuals to be aware of their personal and financial information and to monitor their credit reports and financial accounts regularly.
FAQs
- Q: How many Sandra Martins are there in Broward County?
- A: There are at least four women by that name in Broward County.
- Q: How much money was scammed from the county?
- A: $80,000 of COVID relief funds.
- Q: Who was arrested and charged in the scam?
- A: Sandra Janet Martin from Lauderhill.
- Q: What charges is Sandra Janet Martin facing?
- A: Organized scheme to defraud and grand theft, with five felony charges.
- Q: Are there other investigations into similar fraud cases?
- A: Yes, Broward County says they have other open investigations into people who committed similar fraud of COVID relief dollars.
