Woman arrested for swindling P50 M

MANILA, Philippines - A businesswoman was arrested in an entrapment operation in Makati City Wednesday night for allegedly swindling around P50 million from several people.

Rosemarie Shinohara, alias Marie Martinez, was caught as she was supposed to sell gold bars, according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) anti-fraud unit.

The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 11 issued a search warrant in connection with the swindling charges against her.

“She would ask victims to help her (claiming) she was victimized by a money scammer,” anti-fraud unit chief Czar Eric Nuqui said.

“She would tell the victims that she has a bank account under a different name but she could not get money there because it was frozen,” he added.

Shinohara would later ask for money from her victims, promising that she would pay them later.

One complainant told the NBI she was swindled of around P1 million as Shinohara’s checks bounced. She found out that Shinohara’s bank account had no funds.

Nuqui also said Shinohara has been involved in car theft as she would sell cars she rented from car rental firms. 

She is facing two counts of car theft in Las Piñas; an estafa case in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; and cases of estafa and illegal recruitment in Manila.

Nuqui called on Shinohara’s alleged victims to file complaints against her before the NBI.