Harrisburg Woman Pleads Guilty to Laundering $390,000 Stolen From a Town in a Business Email Compromise Scheme

Published Nov. 10, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

A person she knew only as "Omar" asked her to open bank accounts for a drainage company in her name. According to federal prosecutors, the company did no work at all, and the accounts were used to receive and move money stolen from a municipality through a business email compromise (BEC) scheme. On Nov. 9, 2026, Charlette Baquero, 32, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court in Philadelphia to money laundering charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced [1].

Status: Baquero pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joshua D. Wolson to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, laundering of monetary instruments, and engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity. She was charged by indictment in January 2026. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 19 [1].

How the money moved

Business email compromise is a fraud in which criminals pose as a trusted vendor, contractor or executive, usually by email, and get an organization to send a payment to a bank account they control. The victim here was a municipality that lost about $390,000. The release does not name the municipality or say how the emails were faked, and it does not say who sent them [1].

What the release does describe is the laundering side, which is where Baquero came in. According to court filings and statements described by the U.S. Attorney's Office [1]:

• From about July 2020 to early 2021, Baquero took part in a money laundering conspiracy with a person she knew as "Omar," who asked her to set up bank accounts for a drainage company incorporated in her name.
• The company "presented itself as legitimate" but was a shell company that performed no actual work and had no lawful income.
• Baquero opened the accounts to receive fraud funds and send them on to other co-conspirators, hiding where the money came from. She monitored the money going in and out.
• One account received three wire transfers from the victim municipality: $193,016 on Dec. 3, 2020; $100,705.70 on Dec. 16, 2020; and $96,174 on Jan. 13, 2021.
• Within days of each deposit, Baquero took part in or caused multiple transfers of the money to other launderers.
• She was promised a share of the proceeds but, according to the release, "ultimately received a used car" for her part.

The release does not identify "Omar" or say whether anyone else has been charged.

The defendant and her status

Charlette Baquero, 32, Harrisburg, Pa. Pleaded guilty Nov. 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 19 (the release does not state the year). She faces a maximum possible term of 50 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1,543,427.54 fine [1]. Those are statutory maximums, not a likely sentence.

The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Chandler Harris and Nancy E. Potts are prosecuting [1].

Why this matters to ordinary people

Most people will never be asked to wire $193,000 for a town. But the other half of this story is common: someone you barely know asks you to open a bank account, register a business, or "receive and forward" money for them, and promises you a cut. That is how fraud rings recruit money mules. The person asked may be told it is a business favor, a job, or a romance. People who lend their name or account to move fraud proceeds can face criminal charges themselves, as this case shows.

The used car in this case is a reminder of how little a mule may get compared with the legal risk.

Red flags

General warning signs, not claims about any person beyond what the court record shows:

If you pay invoices (for a business, nonprofit or government office):

• An email saying a vendor's bank account has changed, especially right before a large payment.
• Urgency or secrecy: "pay today," "don't call, I'm in meetings."
• A new account at a bank the vendor has never used, or in a different business name.

If someone asks you to help move money:

• A request to open accounts or register a company in your name for someone else's use.
• Being asked to receive money and send most of it on, keeping a small fee.
• An offer of a payment, gift or car for "just" lending your name or account.

What to do if you're targeted

• Verify any change in payment instructions by phone, using a number you already have on file, not one in the email. Use a second person to approve changes.
• If your organization sent money to a fraudster, call your bank immediately and ask it to recall the wire, then file a complaint at ic3.gov. Speed matters: banks can sometimes freeze funds that have not yet moved.
• If someone is asking you to open accounts or forward money, stop, do not move any more funds, and report it to your bank and to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
• Report fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Case status (as of Nov. 10, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Charlette Baquero, 32, Harrisburg, Pa.	U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Judge Joshua D. Wolson)	Indicted January 2026; pleaded guilty Nov. 9, 2026, to money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and monetary transaction in criminally derived property; sentencing set for Feb. 19	[1]

Statuses can change. The release does not give a case number or name the municipality.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, "Harrisburg Woman Pleads Guilty to Laundering Proceeds of Business Email Compromise Fraud Scheme," Nov. 9, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/harrisburg-woman-pleads-guilty-laundering-proceeds-business-email-compromise-fraud

---

Corrections and updates: If you are named in this article, or represent someone who is, and believe anything here is inaccurate or out of date (including a dismissal, acquittal, or change in case status), please contact us at editorandchief@scammers.com. We will review it and update the article promptly.