Woman indicted for mail, wire and Social Security fraud

BURLINGTON — A former Jericho woman was indicted by a federal grand jury in Burlington on 12 fraud charges stemming from allegedly obtaining money from her adopted children's trust accounts.

According to the indictment, during 2002 and 2003 while living in Jericho on the "Gypsy Grace Ranch" with her husband John, and 20 adopted female children, Marian DiMaria fraudulently obtained and used money from two of her adopted daughter's trust accounts, by using false statements to persuade the Mellon Bank of Pennsylvania, a co-trustee on the accounts to disperse the funds.

She is charged with four counts of defrauding the Social Security Administration based on applications for Social Security Income benefits for four of the children, two of whom had trust funds.

The United States Attorney for Vermont emphasizes that the DiMaria is innocent until proven guilty. The maximum penalties for the charge are not more than 30 years imprisonment for wire and mail fraud, and not more than five years on the Social Security Frauds.