A couple was convicted on Friday of stealing millions of dollars from federal programs that serve the elderly, disabled, and homeless.
Jael Watts, 45, of New Jersey, and Luis Pino-Copete, 42, of Colombia, created a shell company named Pearl Transit Corp. to solicit over $13 million in federal funds, prosecutors allege.
The company claimed to employ drivers across the country who provided transportation to the elderly and disabled, as well as outreach services for the homeless.
However, prosecutors stated that the company lacked such drivers and delivered none of the services. The business claimed to have transferred some victims who had already died. Some of the claimed drivers lacked driver’s licenses and had never driven a car.
Between 2019 and 2025, Watts utilized stolen identities to generate false job and customer records in order to obtain federal reimbursements.
The couple earned about $1.6 million from programs in Georgia, California, and North Carolina.
Prosecutors claim they used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle, including over $100,000 in Porsche rentals and another $100,000 at luxury clothes retailer Loro Piana.
They also spent over a year traveling in Colombia, Aruba, and Europe.
In another aspect of the operation, the couple claimed to distribute free dentures to the homeless population. Instead, prosecutors claim they produced the dentures at home with a 3-D printer and charged homeless people to scan and fit them.
The probe began in 2024, after Watts requested about $750,000 from the New York State Department of Transportation.
Auditors were suspicious of the bills and ultimately submitted the matter to federal investigators. Watts was arrested in July 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Pino-Copete continued to assist her in creating bogus documents after her arrest, including while she was in jail.
A federal jury in Utica, N.Y., found both defendants guilty of wire fraud conspiracy, using fraudulent documents, and aggravated identity theft.
Watts was also convicted on five charges of wire fraud and making a false statement.
They face two to twenty years in prison and are set to be sentenced in January.
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