PHILADELPHIA, PA — Rashell Ortiz, 23, of Grove City, Ohio, was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Thursday for her role in a fraudulent scheme that deceived more than 300 victims out of over $130,000 under the guise of selling high-end handbags and other luxury items.
Ortiz was convicted in December 2024 on six counts of wire fraud following a trial that demonstrated the extent of her crimes. Between October 2019 and November 2021, Ortiz and her accomplice, Orvil Cataquet Jr., 25, of Syracuse, New York, used online sales platforms including Poshmark and Offer Up to market discounted luxury items. They pretended to be a woman selling off gifts from a failed marriage. To entice buyers, they offered additional discounts for payments made through apps like Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal. However, after receiving payments, they failed to deliver the goods and cut off communication with victims.
Their fraudulent activities funded a lifestyle of frequent food deliveries and gaming, defrauding hundreds of victims nationwide, including individuals in the Philadelphia area.
Ortiz’s sentence, handed down by United States District Court Judge Gerald J. Pappert, includes three years of supervised release, restitution of $130,255, and a $600 special assessment. Her accomplice, Cataquet Jr., pled guilty to wire fraud in 2024 and was sentenced to 14 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $156,074 in restitution.
The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency. United States Attorney David Metcalf emphasized that justice has been served, reiterating that fraudulent schemes like this one will not be tolerated. Ortiz’s conviction and sentence demonstrate the consequences facing those who exploit others for personal gain.
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