Maria Auxiliadora Rezende
Introduction
Maria Auxiliadora Rezende, 66, of Revere, Massachusetts, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of wire fraud in connection with an alleged romance and investment fraud scheme that took more than $1 million from an 85-year-old victim . Rezende was arrested and charged by complaint on 10 November 2026, and the indictment was announced by the District of Massachusetts on 13 November 2026 . She has not stood trial, and the allegations against her are unproven .
Background Information
According to the charging documents, Rezende allegedly entered a romantic relationship with an 85-year-old victim in Massachusetts who has health and memory issues . It is alleged that Rezende fraudulently led the victim to believe she stood to inherit farmland in Brazil and that the victim could profit from the farmland if he helped her pay a purported Brazilian inheritance tax and associated legal fees — when in fact the farmland, the inheritance tax, the lawyers and the legal fees did not exist . As a result of the fraud, it is alleged that the victim sent Rezende and her associates more than $1 million .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. Indicted on one count of wire fraud in an alleged million-dollar romance scheme; the allegations are unproven.
The indictment charges Rezende with a single count of wire fraud arising from the alleged scheme, which prosecutors describe as a romance and investment fraud combining a fabricated relationship with a fictitious Brazilian land inheritance . The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine . Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Boston Field Office . Homeland Security Investigations in New England and the US Secret Service’s Boston Field Office provided valuable assistance in the investigation . Assistant US Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case . No public statement from Rezende or a defence attorney was reported .
Current Status
Rezende has been indicted and is facing a single wire fraud count carrying up to 20 years in prison; the case is pending and no trial date was reported in the announcement . She was taken into custody on 10 November 2026 on the complaint that preceded the indictment .
Impact on Their Career/Life
A 66-year-old Revere resident stands accused of exploiting a relationship with an elderly, memory-impaired man to extract more than a million dollars through an invented Brazilian inheritance — a federal indictment that, if proven, would account for the defining act of her later life .
Sources
- “Revere Woman Indicted for Wire Fraud Arising from Million Dollar Romance and Investment Fraud Scheme” — US Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts / justice.gov, November 2026: source