A Uniondale woman already tied to a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme uncovered in 2017 is now heading to prison for a separate bank fraud case that unfolded across Long Island and New York City.
Prosecutors say 45-year-old Janelle DeFreitas built a pattern of deception over time, first in a large-scale mortgage scheme and later in a more targeted effort to secure business loans using false identities and forged documents.
In the more recent case, DeFreitas was sentenced to 4 to 8 years in prison after being convicted of stealing a $75,000 business loan from a Dime Bank branch in Garden City. The conviction followed a jury trial in Nassau County Court.
Authorities said the scheme played out over several months in 2021, moving between bank branches in Queens, Garden City, and Westbury. DeFreitas allegedly used multiple individuals as stand-ins for business owners, helping them open accounts and apply for loans tied to companies that investigators later determined were not legitimate.
At one point, bank officials grew suspicious when several businesses tied to the applications all listed the same Brooklyn address. A site visit found no real operations there, leading to multiple loan denials.
But the scheme did not stop.
Just weeks later, prosecutors said DeFreitas returned to a Garden City branch under a false name with another individual, this time successfully securing a $75,000 loan for a company called Katrina the Movie 1 Inc. The application claimed the business generated more than $1.2 million in annual revenue.
Investigators later determined the financial records were fabricated, including a forged bank statement tied to an unrelated account.
The money moved quickly.
On the same day the loan was funded, authorities said DeFreitas withdrew $45,000 in cashier’s checks made out to her mother, with the remaining funds used to pay personal expenses. Within weeks, nearly all of the money was gone.
The case might have ended there, but it did not.
Prosecutors said DeFreitas continued attempting similar loan schemes at other banks, again using false documents and identities, though those applications were ultimately denied.
She was arrested in December 2023 following an investigation by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
The conviction marks the second time DeFreitas has been linked to financial fraud schemes.
Years earlier, she was among several defendants accused in a separate case involving more than $1 million in fraudulent mortgage loans across Brooklyn and Queens. In that case, prosecutors alleged she and others used shell companies, falsified income records, and fake buyers to secure loans on properties that the buyers could not afford.
Authorities said that earlier scheme relied on fabricated documents and coordinated roles among multiple participants, including a loan originator and a tax preparer.
While that case involved a broader network and larger sums, prosecutors in Nassau County said the more recent loan fraud followed a similar pattern, using false paperwork and misrepresentations to access bank funds.
DeFreitas was convicted in November 2025 of grand larceny and possession of a forged instrument. She was acquitted on one related charge.
She is now expected to serve up to eight years in state prison.
Image: Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly
