Feds on the hunt for transgender suspect wanted in Internet mortgage scam

[SandraJane]

DAILY NEWS



Feds on the hunt for transgender suspect wanted in Internet mortgage scam


Sonata Bastien, operating under male alias Sean Chase, may be hiding out in New York. Authorities say Bastien set up bogus websites that advertised mortgages and ripped off victims through application fees. Suspect faces 20 years in prison for mail fraud


By John Marzulli / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS / Thursday, August 9, 2012, 10:31 PM



http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/feds-hunt-transgender-suspect-wanted-internet-mortgage-scam-article-1.1133221?localLinksEnabled=false



Transgender fugitive Sonata Bastien, a.k.a. "Sean Chase," is wanted for Internet fraud in Massachusetts and believed to be on the lam in New York or New Jersey.


A transgender fraudster from Massachusetts wanted for an Internet scam may be hiding out in the New York area, federal officials said Thursday.

Sonata Bastien, who was born female, operated under the male alias Sean Chase during a scheme that involved setting up bogus websites that advertised mortgages, according to an indictment unsealed this week.

[peky]

I did not see any information regarding this person being on HRT, having had top or bottom surgery, so I think the title of the article is misleading at best.

Rather than being a "transgender criminal" this seems to be the case of a an "impersonating criminal" Wish we could set the newspaper straight!!!

[SandraJane]

I did not see any information regarding this person being on HRT, having had top or bottom surgery, so I think the title of the article is misleading at best.

Rather than being a "transgender criminal" this seems to be the case of a an "impersonating criminal" Wish we could set the newspaper straight!!!

Either they are on HRT from the looks of the pictures (facial hair), or a) Its fake  or (b) they have a hormonal imbalance or (c) they are on "T" and growing facial hair.

But aside from that, what else inspired the use of "Transgender" in reference to this person/suspect/fugitive?

[Beth Andrea]

what else inspired the use of "Transgender" in reference to this person/suspect/fugitive?

Probably because she presented as male during the fraud events. "Transgender", as I understand it, is anytime a person crosses gender lines.

We have to take the bad with the good, if our words are to have any meaning...Just because one person commits a crime as TG, doesn't mean that we're all like that. (Now I understand how black people feel whenever the media says "Suspect is black..." They're concerned that people will get the impression that all blacks are like that.)