Business ProfileforRemington Biographies, Inc.

The following describes a pending government action that has been formally brought by a government agency but has not yet been resolved. We are providing a summary of the governments allegations, which have not yet been proven.

On December 19, 2018, an indictment was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip charging John Ficarra and his wife Mara Ficarra with conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  The Ficarras were arrested this morning, and will be arraigned before a United States Magistrate,

The Ficarras owned, operated and held senior management positions in various companies, including Remington Biographies, Inc., Remington Bookkeepers, Inc., and Mentorship America1, Inc. (collectively, the “Remington Entities”).  The Remington Entities purported to publish reference publications containing biographical information of individuals across the country.  Those publications included “Inspiring the Youth of America” and “The Remington Registry of Outstanding Professionals.”

As alleged in the indictment, from 2013 to the present, the Ficarras caused letters and pamphlets to be mailed to victims, primarily the elderly, indicating that the victim’s biography would be published in one of the reference publications.  The letters, addressed “Dear Nominee,” indicated, “Your 2 books and your plaque are paid for in full and ready for delivery.  Please send a check for $14.00 dollars for shipping and handling.”  The pamphlet described the publication and stated in part, “The Remington Registry of Outstanding Professionals is more than a website, more than a book, more than a Biographical index and certainly more than a who’s who.  It is the ultimate expression of achievements, hardships, and dedication that professionals have made in their lives and careers….  Sit back and be ready for a wonderful experience.”  The mailings induced thousands of victims to send checks as payment for inclusion in the reference publications.  The Ficarras then used the routing and bank account information on those checks to produce fraudulent checks for larger dollar amounts, which they then deposited into bank accounts they controlled at Citibank, Everbank, HSBC, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo, among other financial institutions.  The Ficarras promptly withdrew cash from the accounts, stealing more than $1 million dollars from the victim subscribers and financial institutions.