Crime & Safety
Ex-Ridgewood Resident Sentenced for Real Estate Schemes
Taya Romano fleeces two couples by promising returns on Oklahoma real estate ventures and now faces prison time.
A former Ridgewood woman was sentenced to four years in prison for mastermining a real estate scheme that bilked millions from two New Jersey families, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Monday.
Taya Romano, 36, of Oklahoma, pleaded guilty in July to wire fraud conspiracy charges on Monday.
U.S District Court Judge Phillip G. Sheridan ordered Romano to serve 48 months in prison, three years of probation, and must pay $4.7 million in restitution.
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Fishman said Romano in 2008 and 2009 conspired with her then-husband to defraud two sets of family friends by convincing them to invest in Oklahoma real estate properties and never returning their money.
"Romano solicited a series of investments from each of the two sets of family friends, obtaining a total of $1,032,750 from one couple and $890,000 from the other couple," the U.S. Attorney said. "Romano and her husband did not use these funds for the purposes for which they had represented."
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