Virginia woman accused of stealing $40K via fraudulent checks faces Mass. judge
A Virginia woman faced a judge in Massachusetts Friday following her arrest in a monthslong investigation into money stolen from a Foxboro couple’s bank account.
Monika Jaworska appeared in Wrentham District Court, where she was arraigned on an identity fraud charge.
The charge comes after nearly $40,000 was taken from the bank account of Mark and Joyce Henderson through fraudulent checks. Eight checks cashed across the country had Monika Jaworska’s name and home address printed on them, as well as her signature.
A Foxboro police detective confirmed that checks ordered online with Mark Henderson’s bank account information were delivered to her Virginia address last August. The detective also contacted recipients of the checks.
One recipient, a woman in Hawaii named Brenda, told police she was contacted by Jaworska about cleaning an empty housing unit. She said she expected to be paid $1,000 but instead received a check for $4,880.
“The same individual, Monika Jaworska, contacted her back and said, ‘I need the rest of that money back, please send back the $3,880 short of the $1,000,” Assistant District Attorney Sebastian Voigt said in court.
The detective concluded Brenda appeared to be an unwitting participant in a common overpayment or forwarded-funds scheme rather than a knowing accomplice.
Another recipient named Teauna told police she received a check from a man she met on a dating website who called himself “David.” Teauna said she was instructed to keep $2,300 and send the remainder back through bitcoin.
In his report, Detective Patrick Lydon wrote that both accounts were consistent with money-laundering schemes in which recipients are directed to keep a portion of fraudulently obtained funds and return the remainder using methods designed to make the money harder to trace.
Voigt said Jaworska previously pleaded guilty and was convicted alongside her husband in 2020 of conspiracy to commit bank fraud stemming from an FBI investigation into COVID-19 fraud involving the Paycheck Protection Program.
A public defender appointed as Jaworska’s defense attorney in court said she was a victim of severe domestic abuse and was scammed.
“The short of this, judge, is she was scammed,” said attorney Paul Carlucci. “It’s a lengthy story, but she was scammed from a person overseas, she met him online and she was vulnerable. She wound up falling in love with this person, and she was scammed into participating unknowingly in this crime.”
A not guilty plea was entered on Jaworska’s behalf. She was released on personal recognizance and permitted to attend the next pretrial hearing in December virtually.
Identity theft is a misdemeanor crime. The assistant district attorney said the case would be referred to the white-collar crimes division.
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