The Attorney General’s office announced on Friday a co-conspirator in a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs and Michigan Department of Treasury will face trial.
60-year-old Sophia J. Quill and a co-defendant, Melissa Flores, allegedly created aliases and obtained or created fraudulent documents to make it appear that they were heirs to various individuals who died.
Between 2013 and 2019, it is alleged that Quill and Flores defrauded the VA out of more than $430,000 and the Department of Treasury out of more than $40,000.
Quill waived preliminary exam early Friday in Wayne County’s 18th District Court and it will move to circuit court for trial.
The charges against Quill include:
- One count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a felony punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $100,000 fine and forfeiture of proceeds and items used during the crime;
- Four counts of obtaining between $50,000 and $100,000 using a false pretense, a felony punishable by 15 years’ imprisonment and a $25,000 fine or three times the value of the money or property involved, whichever is greater;
- Two counts of obtaining between $20,000 and $50,000 using a false pretense, a felony punishable by 15 years’ imprisonment and a $15,000 fine or three times the value of the money or property involved, whichever is greater; and
- Two counts of obtaining between $1,000 and $20,000 using a false pretense, a felony punishable by five years’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine or three times the value of the money or property involved, whichever is greater.
Quill is charged as a fourth habitual offender, meaning she is facing a maximum term of life imprisonment if convicted of any charges.
Quill’s Wayne County Circuit Court arraignment is set for July 2. An exact time and judge has not yet been assigned.
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