PENSACOLA — A 40-year-old Crestview woman faces 42 federal charges — including 17 counts of bank fraud and 19 counts of money laundering — in a scheme totaling more than $4 million, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida announced.
A federal grand jury indicted Rosemay G. Manzano on the 17 bank fraud counts, 19 money laundering counts, one count of aggravated identity theft and five counts of filing a false tax return. Heekin’s office said the investigation is part of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud launched by President Donald J. Trump, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.
Manzano appeared for arraignment in federal court in Pensacola before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Michael J. Frank. A jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 21 before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell II.
The potential penalties are severe. If convicted, Manzano faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment on each of the 17 bank fraud counts, up to 10 years’ imprisonment on each money laundering count, up to 3 years’ imprisonment on each false tax return count and 2 years’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence for the aggravated identity theft count. She also faces restitution and forfeiture of assets.
The FBI, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting.
The Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division on April 7 to investigate and prosecute those who commit fraud against the American people. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.
Manzano’s jury trial before Judge Wetherell is set for Sept. 21 in Pensacola. An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury and is not evidence of guilt; all defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial.