CEDAR RAPIDS – A woman who participated in a scheme to defraud victims across the country, including Iowa, out of more than $450,000 was sentenced this month to more than a year in federal prison.
Karina Henao, age 36, a Colombia citizen living in Florida, received the prison term after a November 5, 2018, guilty plea to wire fraud.
In a plea agreement, Henao admitted that from September through November 2017, she participated in a scheme to defraud businesses and individuals across the country. Henao admitted she controlled multiple bank accounts and that other participates of the scheme lied to businesses and individuals to get the victims to transfer money to Henao’s bank accounts. Henao also admitted she then wired some of the money to bank accounts in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan. In total, more than $450,000 in fraudulent money was wired into Henao’s bank accounts, though some of the money was recovered by authorities. Henao personally withdrew over $27,000 of the money during the time she participated in the scheme.
Henao was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Henao was sentenced to 13 months’ imprisonment. She was ordered to make $297,099.72 in restitution the victims of the scheme. She must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Henao was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.