| After Romance Scam Guilty
Verdict in SDNY Entire Sentencing
Submission Sealed for Jan 22
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY
COURTHOUSE,
Jan 9 – Nadine Jazmine Wade
has been on trial for a
romance scam, bank fraud and
money laundering.
On December
5 victim Joy Birch was subject
to direct and cross
examination before U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Katherine Polk Failla.
Inner City Press was there,
the only media in the
courtroom.
Ms. Birch
described how a Diego
Francisco - a person who
turned out not to exist -
called her sweety and ended up
taking $160,000 from her in a
single month. "Diego
Francisco" had claimed to be
working to fix an oil well in
Louisiana, for which he needed
money but would visit Birch
when he was done.
Birch said
the scam made her distrust
everyone, including
herself.
On cross
examination, Wade's lawyer
retread the same ground. Days
before trial, they asked for a
continuance, which was
denied.
The
witness order, set forth in an
email to counsel, includes
Julia Gutierres, TR Pescod,
Michael Son, Rhonda Dillon,
Allison Kotsay, Olivia Arnold
and Tara Adams.
On December 6, a
Citibank witness was on the
stand explaining how they
decided in November 2019 to
close Wade's account, but only
told her by letter in January
2020. Then they had the
recorded call of her trying to
talk her way about of it,
saying she was running a
business.
The defense put
in a letter, for some reason
sealed, asking to exclude
evidence of Wade's lease of a
"luxury two-bedroom apartment
in Jersey City owned by Green
Property LLC," and what she
told them to rent the
apartment.
On December 11
Wade's ex husband Mr. Feliz
was on the stand, saying Wade
made her money through the
money laundering scam and that
he had pretended to have a car
business. A photo was shown of
the house they had lived
together in, briefly, in the
North Bronx.
On December 12
there was audio recording of
Wade's calls with PNC, trying
to get $15,000 cashier's
checks from Chase / Judy Crane
deposited or released. But PNC
insisted on verifying them...
On December 13
the Government's closing
argument had 10 Reasons Nadine
Wade is guilty, and includes
photos of hundred dollar
bills. Why were these FedExed
to a Walgreens in The Bronx,
the AUSA asked? Why indeed.
On December 14:
"jury returned a guilty
verdict against NADINE JAZIMNE
WADE on all four counts in the
Indictment, which contained
money laundering and bank
fraud charges."
The sentencing
was pushed back twice, to
January 22, 2025. On January
9, defense counsel filed the
entire sentencing submission,
including how much time is
being requested, under seal.
The case is USA
v. Wade, 1:21-cr-472 (Failla)
***
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