A Delray Beach woman is facing federal charges after she's accused of lying about the whereabouts of her fugitive ex-husband.
The Department of Justice says 69-year-old Cecily Sturge told investigators she hasn't had contact with Scott J. Wolas in 15 years, but in reality, he allegedly began using her name to rent a condo in Delray as of November, 2016.
Sturge maintained her claim of no-contact, despite evidence of interaction between her cell phone and one known to belong to Wolas. Messages exchanged between the condo owner and Sturge were also discovered, that depicted a photo of Sturge and messages indicating that Wolas (using the name Cameron Sturge) was Sturge’s brother and a retired paleontologist in need of a place to stay. The owner of the condo told authorities that Sturge and Wolas arrived at the condo together in the same car on Nov. 12, 2016, five days before Sturge’s interview with law enforcement.
Wolas had been a fugitive for 20 years in connection with a New York investment scheme until his arrest in April. Wolas has also been charged in federal court in Boston with operating an unrelated fraudulent $1.5 million real estate investment scheme in Quincy, Mass.
Sturge was divorced from Wolas in 2001 by default judgment in Palm Beach County. In February 2017, Sturge filed a petition to modify the judgment in order to obtain the contents of Wolas’ retirement account
Surge is charged with making a materially false statement to a federal agent.
Her ex is charged with running investment and real estate investment schemes.