Two Colombian Nationals Indicted for Attempting to Sell Fraudulent $1,000,000,000 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 indicted in a four-count Indictment today for attempting to sell a fictitious U.S. Bearer Bond.

Today’s Indictment charges MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA with Conspiracy to Sell a Fictitious Instrument, Conspiracy to Transport a Fictitious Instrument, Attempting to Sell a Fictitious Instrument, and Transporting a Fictitious Instrument.

According to court records, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) received information alleging that MOJICA HERRERA was seeking to sell fictitious obligations in the form of a United States Bearer Bond with a face value of $1,000,000,000.00 U.S. dollars.  MOJICA HERRERA made representations that the bond was worth much more than $1,000,000,000.00 due to the accrual of interest.   On September 28, 2015, MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA, travelled from Bogota, Columbia and arrived in the United States at the New Orleans International Airport.

On September 29, 2015, MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO 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.  MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA agreed to meet the UA later that day at a local bank to make the exchange.

During the meeting at the bank, SERRATO 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 MOJICA HERRERA a check in the amount of $750,000,000 payable to “Alma MOJICA” constituting partial payment for the Bearer Bond.  MOJICA HERRERA then asked the UA to give her two checks.  MOJICA 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 MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA write their names and the amounts they wanted on an envelope.  SERRATO 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 MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA were taken into custody by HSI agents.

If convicted, MOJICA HERRERA and SERRATO POLANIA face a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years as to Counts 1 and 2 and 25 years as to Counts 3 and 4.  In addition, they face a fine of $250,000 per count and up to 3 years of supervised release.

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

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-HSI 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.