A national fraud ring has been busted, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini announced on Wednesday, allegedly led by a Farmingdale man who stole more than $2 million from small business owners and others who had been denied loans. (Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost)

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A Farmingdale man led a fraud ring that stole more than $2 million from 35 small-business owners and others across Long Island and as far away as California and Florida, Suffolk County prosecutors said Wednesday.

Demetrios Boudourakis, 45, was charged with grand larceny, money laundering and other crimes for his role in the advance fee loan scheme, according to court records. One victim was scammed out of more than $150,000, court papers say.

“This was a classic boiler room operation,” Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said during a news conference Wednesday in Hauppauge.

Boudourakis and his associates, through the dark web, obtained the names of people who had been denied loans, Sini said. They would then call those people to tell them they had qualified for loans but would have to pay interest and fees upfront.

“There are criminal enterprises out there that make a living out of essentially identifying vulnerable individuals who can be preyed upon, essentially identifying potential victims,” Sini said. “That is exactly what happened here.”

Once the defendants received cashier checks or wire transfers for the fees and interest, Sini said, they came up with excuses to explain why the loans were not forthcoming — or simply refused to return calls.

Boudourakis, also known as “Jimmy,” pleaded not guilty at arraignment in Central Islip Wednesday. He is scheduled to return to court Friday. His attorney, Terrence Buckley of Islandia, did not return a call for comment.

Suffolk County District Judge Gaetan B. Lozito set bail for Boudourakis at $1 million bond or $500,000 cash, according to court records.

Sini said the alleged fraud began in October 2016 and continued until just recently, operating first out of an office in Melville and then out of a building in Seaford, where a “Wolf of Wall Street” poster hung on the wall.

The investigation into the alleged scheme began a year ago and involved numerous agencies, including the Suffolk and Nassau police and sheriff’s departments, New York State Police, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Five other defendants pleaded not guilty at arraignment Wednesday. They include Nadim Afzali, 30, of Hicksville, charged with scheme to defraud and ordered held of $250,000 bond or $100,000 bail; Tanya Balbi, 39, of Farmingdale, charged with scheme to defraud and ordered held on $50,000 cash or  $25,000 bond; Christopher Looney, 21, of Bethpage, charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud and ordered held on $150,000 bond or $75,000 cash; Johnson Joseph, 38, of Brentwood, charged with grand larceny, money laundering and scheme to defraud and ordered held on $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash; and Jude Brun, 36, of Elmont, charged with scheme to defraud and ordered held on $150,000 bond or $75,000 cash.

Afzali’s attorney, Ian Fitzgerald of Central Islip, said his client had only worked with Boudourakis for a short period of time. “He has no knowledge of theft, if that is indeed what happened,” Fitzgerald said.

Joseph's attorney, Martin Lorenzotti of Central Islip, said his client is presumed innocent and will fight the charges in court. 

Attorneys for the other clients arraigned Wednesday did not return calls for comment.

The seventh defendant, Michelle Soccodato, 31, of Hicksville, is charged with scheme to defraud and is scheduled for arraignment Thursday. It was not clear Wednesday if Soccodato was represented by an attorney.

Sini said anybody who believes they were a victim of Boudourakis and his associates should contact his office.

“These individuals weren’t stealing from the rich,” Sini said. “They were stealing from small businesses and ordinary people.”

译文：萨福克郡检察官周三表示，一名法明代尔男子领导的欺诈行为从长岛以及远至加利福尼亚和佛罗里达的35家小企业主和其他人那里偷走了200多万美元。

根据法庭记录，45岁的Demetrios Boudourakis因其在预付费贷款计划中的角色而被指控犯有盗窃罪，洗钱及其他罪行。法庭文件称，一名受害者被骗了超过150,000美元。

“这是一个典型的锅炉房操作，”萨福克县地方检察官蒂莫西西尼周三在Hauppauge的新闻发布会上说。

Sini说，Boudourakis和他的同事通过黑暗的网络获得了被拒绝贷款的人的名字。然后，他们会打电话给那些人，告诉他们他们有资格获得贷款，但必须先支付利息和费用。

西尼说：“那里的犯罪企业主要通过识别易受攻击的弱势群体来谋生，主要是识别潜在的受害者。” “这正是这里发生的事情。”

Sini说，一旦被告收到收银员支票或电汇以获取费用和利息，他们就会找借口解释为什么贷款不会即将到来 - 或者只是拒绝回电话。

Boudourakis，也被称为“吉米”，周三在Central Islip的辩护中对此表示不认罪。他定于周五返回法庭。他的律师，Islandia的Terrence Buckley没有回复评论。

根据法庭记录，萨福克郡区法官Gaetan B. Lozito以100万美元债券或50万美元现金为Boudourakis保释。

Sini说，涉嫌欺诈行为始于2016年10月，并一直持续到最近，首先从梅尔维尔的一个办公室开始，然后从西福德的一幢大楼出来，那里挂着“华尔街之狼”的海报。

对该指控计划的调查于一年前开始，涉及众多机构，包括萨福克和拿骚警察和治安官部门，纽约州警察局，联邦调查局和缉毒局。

另外五名被告于星期三在传讯中表示无罪。他们包括30岁的Hicksville的Nadim Afzali，被指控诈骗计划并下令持有25万美元债券或100,000美元保释金; 法明郡的39岁的Tanya Balbi被指控诈骗计划并下令以50,000美元现金或25,000美元债券持有; Bethpage的21岁的克里斯托弗鲁尼（Christopher Looney）被指控犯有大规模盗窃罪和计划诈骗罪并下令以150,000美元债券或75,000美元现金持有; 38岁的布伦特伍德约翰逊约瑟夫（Johnson Joseph）被指控犯有大规模盗窃罪，洗钱和计划诈骗，并下令以50万美元债券或250,000美元现金持有; 和埃尔蒙特的36岁的Jude Brun一起被指控诈骗计划，并下令以150,000美元债券或75,000美元现金持有。

Afzali的律师，中央Islip的伊恩菲茨杰拉德说，他的客户只在很短的时间内与Boudourakis合作。菲茨杰拉德说：“他不知道盗窃，如果真的发生了什么事。”

约瑟夫的律师，Central Islip的Martin Lorenzotti说，他的当事人被认为是无辜的，并将在法庭上对抗指控。 

周三被提审的其他客户的律师没有回复评论。

第七被告，希克斯维尔的31岁的Michelle Soccodato被指控诈骗计划，并计划于周四进行审讯。周三尚不清楚Soccodato是否由律师代理。

Sini说，任何认为自己是Boudourakis及其同事受害者的人都应该联系他的办公室。

“这些人并没有偷走富人，”西尼说。“他们是从小企业和普通人那里偷窃的。”