PLUMSTEAD TOWNSHIP, PA — A 23-year-old woman from Grove City, Ohio, has been sentenced to federal prison for orchestrating a high-end luxury goods fraud scheme that defrauded over 300 victims across the U.S.
Rashell Ortiz was sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She must also pay $130,255 in restitution and a $600 special assessment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Gerald J. Pappert after Ortiz was convicted on six counts of wire fraud in December 2024.
Between October 2019 and November 2021, Ortiz and her boyfriend, Orvil Cataquet Jr., 25, of Syracuse, New York, posed online as a woman selling luxury handbags at discounted prices under the pretense of a divorce. They listed items on platforms like Poshmark and Offer Up, luring buyers into making payments through apps such as Zelle, CashApp, Venmo, Google Pay, and PayPal.
After receiving payments, the couple failed to deliver the goods and cut off communication with the victims. Prosecutors say they defrauded more than 300 people, including residents in the greater Philadelphia area, using the funds to finance a lifestyle of takeout and video games.
Cataquet Jr. pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to 14 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $156,074 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Fort Washington Resident Agency, with assistance from the Plumstead Township Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan Claiborne and Sarah Wolfe.
