Minnesota baby store owner pleads guilty to $9M fraud scheme

A Sartell woman has pleaded guilty to inventing a phony supplier and creating fake invoices to secure more than $9 million in financing, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.

Adelle Starin, 40, engaged in the fraud through her Minnesota business, Baby’s on Broadway, which sold baby products and toys at storefronts in downtown St. Cloud and Little Falls, the documents say.

“Faced with ballooning business debts arising from [Baby’s on Broadway] business activities, [Starin] sought out fraudulent methods to secure financing,” court documents state.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said in a statement that Starin first submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to TRICARE, a health care program that’s part of the U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System, which “paid out many of Starin’s fraudulent claims, but when TRICARE began rejecting those claims, Starin expanded her scheme to bring other sources of revenue.”

Documents state Starin created a company called Sunshine Medical and drafted fake invoices that she sent to two lenders, Texas-based Liquid Capital Enterprises Corp. and California-based Slope Tech. Inc.

“Sunshine had no inventory, was not a [Baby’s on Broadway] supplier, and was not engaged in any legitimate business activity,” documents state. Starin received about $1.1 million from Liquid Capital Enterprises and about $8 million from Slope Tech.

Starin pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on Dec. 19. Her plea agreement stipulates a sentence of 41 to 51 months of imprisonment, as well as a fine and restitution to TRICARE and the two lenders. Her sentencing has not been scheduled.