Jersey City police accuse three women of conning trusting acquaintances out of their life savings by talking up "business opportunities" at swanky house parties

Thursday, April 07, 2011
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Two Jersey City women and a Bayonne woman have been charged with conspiring to steal about $200,000 from victims recruited at Christ Hospital by conning them into investing in phony business deals, police said.

"Even after 30 years, it does not cease to amaze me the extent people will go to facilitate fraud," Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey said of the allegations against Lenora Hall, 62, and Sonja Edwards, 45, of Garfield Avenue, and Soraida Delancy, 45, of Avenue A in Bayonne.

Hall, who has worked at Christ Hospital for 30 years, used her position in patient information to rub elbows with coworkers - including her own sister - and tell them about the parties at the home she and Edwards share, Lt. Edgar Martinez said.

Edwards, the alleged ringleader, mingled with guests, spun tales of big returns and coaxed cash from her marks at the parties - where men in tuxedos escorted guests into the home and sometimes there were male strippers as entertainment, Martinez said.

One victim, who asked not to be identified, said she was told she would net from $14,000 to $21,000 on the $7,000 investment she made in 2009. The scheme started to unravel, she believes, when duped investors started demanding answers late last year.

One phony business plan Edwards dangled before victims was an opportunity to purchase luxury vehicles for a security transportation company that would serve Janet Jackson and Jackson's family, as well as other VIPs, Martinez said.

One couple sank $100,000 of their retirement savings into the nonexistent enterprise, Martinez said.

Another victim was taken for $50,000 by one of their schemes to buy electrical equipment and resell it on the auction website eBay, Martinez said, adding that seven alleged victims have been identified so far.

Police say Delancy worked as a maid for her codefendants, organized the parties, was aware of the conspiracy, and even made the bank deposits of the investment money authorities say was stolen from the victims.

The women were arrested Friday and charged variously with theft, theft by deception, identity theft, theft by unlawful taking and forgery, Martinez said.

They made their first appearance in court Monday and Superior Court Judge Kevin Callahan set Edwards' bail at $300,000, Hall's at $75,000 and Delancy's at $35,000, officials said.

Christ Hospital spokesman Paul Hebert said the hospital is conducting its own investigation into the allegations and is cooperating fully with the police probe. He said he did not know what disciplinary action would be taken against Hall.

"There were a lot of smoke and mirrors that led people to believe it was a credible organization, but its sole purpose was to defraud people of their life savings," Comey said. "There is always going to be a criminal element in society that wants to relieve people of their life savings for their own purposes."

The investigation is active and more charges and arrests are possible, Martinez said. Police ask anyone who believes he may be a victim to call the police tip line at (201) 547-JAIL.