Two Colombian Nationals Arrested for Attempting to Sell Fraudulent $1 Billion U.S. Bearer Bond

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that ALMA DE JESUS MOJICA HERRERA, age 51, and LEONARDO SERRATO POLANIA, age 41, both residents of Bogota, Colombia, were arrested and charged in a federal complaint with attempting to sell a fictitious U.S. Bearer Bond.

According to court records, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) received information alleging that HERRERA was seeking to sell fictitious obligations in the form of a United States Bearer Bond with a face value of $1,000,000,000 U.S. dollars.  HERRERA made representations that the bond was worth much more than $1,000,000,000 due to the accrual of interest.  On September 28, 2015, HERRERA and POLANIA, travelled from Bogota, Columbia and arrived in the United States at the New Orleans International Airport.

On September 29, 2015, HERRERA and POLANIA met over lunch with an HSI undercover agent (“UA”) to discuss the details of the sale of the U.S. Bearer Bond to the UA for a fee of $1,500,000,000.  HERRERA and POLANIA agreed to meet the UA later that day at a local bank to make the exchange.

During the meeting at the bank, POLANIA displayed a United States Bearer Bond valued at $1,000,000,000 and handed the Bearer Bond to the UA.   In return for the Bearer Bond, the UA gave HERRERA a check in the amount of $750,000,000 payable to “Alma MOJICA” constituting partial payment for the Bearer Bond.  HERRERA then asked the UA to give her two checks.  HERRERA requested one check payable to SERRATO POLANIA and a second check payable to MOJICA HERRERA in the amount of her commission.   The UA requested that HERRERA and POLANIA write their names and the amounts they wanted on an envelope. POLANIA then wrote his name with the amount of $705,000,000 and MOJICA HERRERA'S name with the amount $45,000,000. The UA then left the bank with the Bearer Bond and HERRERA and POLANIA were taken into custody by HSI agents.

If convicted, HERRERA and POLANIA face a maximum term of imprisonment of 25 years, a fine of $250,000 and up to 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the complaint is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

“Con artists who attempt to pass bogus securities typically fabricate detailed stories as part of their scam to take advantage of potential victims,” said HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr.   “You would think a $1 billion face value would be a give-away that the currency is fake, but some people are still taken in, and HSI will continue to make investigating and seeking prosecution of financial criminals one its highest priorities.”

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in investigating this matter.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Fraud Unit Chief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.