Luis Pino Copetea 42-year-old Colombian citizen, resident in Bogotá, was convicted along with his wife, Jael Watts, of participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than 13 million dollars of United States federal programs intended to benefit seniors, citizens with disabilities and homeless people.
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According to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), couple used stolen identities to create fake payrolls and client records with which they supported the operations of ‘Pearl Transit Corporation’, a “shell” company based in New Jersey that, as demonstrated during the trial, It did not provide the transportation services it reported.
Jael Watts and Luis Pino-Copete, of Colombian nationality, used stolen identities Photo:DOJ
The DOJ reported this October 2 that A jury found Watts, 45, and Pino-Copete guilty after a trial that lasted several weeks in Utica.
The investigation established that ‘Pearl Transit’ allegedly had “drivers throughout the United States who transported the elderly and disabled and performed assistance work for the homeless.” However, the evidence presented to the jury showed that the company did not employ those drivers nor had it performed the services that appeared on the reimbursement requests.
What did the authorities find? This is how the ghost company of the Colombian and his wife worked
Jael Watts, 45 years old, resident of New Jersey and Luis Pino-Copete, resident of Bogotá. Photo:DOJ
The scheme was developed between July 2019 and October 2025 and included applications related to different federal programs, including the ‘Section 5310 program of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)’, as well as resources from the ‘Community Development Block Grant’ and the ‘Emergency Solutions Grant’ administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
It was detailed from the Department of Justice that some of these resources had received funding “during the covid-19 pandemic” through the CARES Act.
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According to the entity, the identities of “real people” and documentation that appeared to demonstrate the existence of employees and beneficiaries of the services were used to support the requests. This “in order to demonstrate that Pearl Transit had provided transportation to the elderly, disabled and homeless.”
Among the records, The agency revealed that there were people who had died when they supposedly received ‘Pearl Transit’ services. There were also individuals who did not have a driver’s license and who, according to the evidence in the trial, “had never driven a car.”
One of the people listed as a driver only had a learner’s permit when the defendants claimed he worked for the company.
For its part, it was discovered that the investigation began in late 2024, when Watts submitted reimbursement requests for nearly $750,000 to the New York State Department of Transportation through the Section 5310 program.
This is the Colombian accused of millionaire fraud in the United States with his wife Photo:DOJ
The New York State Comptroller’s Office deemed the invoices “suspicious” and opened an audit. According to the DOJ, in response to that proceeding “Watts and Pino-Copete generated numerous false documents using stolen identities of real people in an attempt to convince the State of New York that Pearl Transit had actually provided the services for which it was seeking reimbursement.”
The case had also been described by the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation. In a publication dated February 17, 2026, that entity reported that the Federal Transit Administration had suspended Pino-Copete from participating in federal contracting transactions and other activities. The move came after the FTA suspended Watts and Pearl Transit on December 3, 2025.
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The publication on the official website of the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General noted that Pino-Copete was listed as Pearl Transit’s regional manager, while Watts was listed as operations manager.
The indictment alleged that both conspired to obtain resources and that they subsequently presented receipts to request payments for “a total of $1,275,550 from the New York Department of Transportation.”
EL TIEMPO also found a LinkedIn profile that appears under the name of Luis Abdel Pino Copete. In that account he describes himself as “strategic leader in civil engineering and architecture – MC-ENG (Master in Engineering)” and has experience as “regional vice president” of ‘Pearl Transit’. The profile indicates that he had held that position since August 2022 and describes it as a full-time job in the United States.
The professional information published in that account also reads: “With experience in civil engineering and architecture; expert in strategic planning and project leadership.” In the experience section, the profile attributes to Pino-Copete functions such as “strategic project leadership and team management” in the transportation area. It also identifies him as an architectural engineer and indicates experience in designing and supervising construction projects.
In the middle of the hearing it was revealed that “the defendants led an ostentatious lifestyle” following the more than “1.6 million dollars in federal funds they fraudulently obtained as part of the scheme.” It was highlighted that this was the amount they managed to steal after requests for “more than $13 million in federal funds through false claims.”
In the proceedings it was specified that the stolen millions came from:
- $529,500 in CDBG funds from Gwinnett County, Georgia.
- $429,885 in Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Section 5310 funds.
- $283,000 in ESG funding from Kern County, California.
- $379,149 from City of Raleigh, North Carolina Section 5310 funds.
How did the Colombian get to the ghost company and millionaire robbery?
The Department of Justice reported that Watts married Pino Copete in Colombia in 2023 and that the compatriot joined the fraudulent scheme in January 2024.
Later, in January 2025, He entered the United States with a visa issued in December 2024. Her involvement, according to evidence presented in the trial, increased after Watts was initially charged with wire fraud in July 2025.
After Watts’ first capture and the search of his electronic devices, investigators found conversations between the two related to the preparation of false documentation to respond to the audit.
This is the Colombian accused of millionaire fraud in the United States with his wife Photo:DOJ
The analysis of the bank accounts also established, according to the DOJ, that more than $1.5 million fraudulently obtained from Georgia, North Carolina and California were used by the defendants for personal expenses.
Among those movements, The Justice Department reported more than $100,000 in Porsche vehicle rentals and more than $100,000 in purchases at the Italian luxury brand Loro Piana in Manhattan. The entity stressed that the latter is a store where women’s jackets can cost $9,500 and bags $4,500.
He also noted that during 2024 they made a trip of almost a year that included Colombia, Aruba and several European countries.
The case also included resource requests related to dentures for homeless people. According to the evidence presented during the trialthe defendants claimed that they provided these treatments for freebut the authorities established that the prostheses were printed in a home using a 3D printer and that “They charged homeless people to scan their mouths and fit them with dentures.
Among the chats found, the DOJ revealed one in which the creation of false documentation was discussed and where Watts declared: “You have to be committed to this type of work… and I am,” and boasted: “They are not smart… we are much smarter.”
Likewise, images of video calls talking and showing money obtained from patients for dental care and other photos were also included in which the first assistant United States attorney, Sarcone, in the middle of the hearing described as follows: “These two defendants changed their Tuscan spa robes for matching orange jumpsuits.”
The jury found Watts guilty of one count of false statement, one count of aggravated identity theft and five counts of wire fraud. In addition, Watts and Pino-Copete were found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, document falsification and aggravated identity theft.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 21, 2027 before Federal Judge Anthony J. Brindisi. ANDThe DOJ indicated that both face a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, in addition to fines of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised probation. They must also pay compensation of at least $1.9 million.
Because Pino-Copete is not a U.S. citizen, the Justice Department said he could be expelled and deported after serving any sentence.
LAURA NATHALIA QUINTERO.
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