A federal grand jury in Chicago indicted Tatiana Bazer on Mar. 31 for allegedly defrauding multiple victims out of at least $3.5 million by falsely claiming their money would be used for immigration services, projects in Ukraine, and other purposes.
The case is significant as it involves substantial financial losses and accusations of impersonating federal officials to further the alleged scheme. According to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court, Bazer misrepresented to victims that their funds would support various causes or serve as loans related to her purported legal troubles, including a supposed shoplifting arrest.
The indictment states that some victims gave Bazer hundreds of thousands of dollars based on these representations. Instead, she allegedly spent much of the money for personal use and concealed her actions by sending false records such as bogus wire transfer receipts and fraudulent checks.
After learning about a federal investigation into her activities, Bazer is accused of pretending to be FBI agents, a prosecutor, and a criminal defense attorney in order to convince victims that they would recover their funds once her case was resolved.
Bazer, age 40 from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, faces seven counts of wire fraud and two counts of impersonating a federal law enforcement officer. She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in Chicago federal court. A status hearing is set for April 21 at 10:30 a.m.
Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office announced the indictment with assistance from the Illinois Secretary of State’s Securities Department.
Authorities remind the public that an indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt; Bazer is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt at trial. Each count carries potential prison sentences—up to 20 years for wire fraud charges and up to three years for each count related to impersonation if convicted—with sentencing subject to federal statutes and guidelines.
Potential victims are encouraged to contact the FBI by emailing TBazerVictims@fbi.gov.
