Block watch leader arraigned in falsification and forgery

The woman has a history of charges involving theft and bad checks, jail records show.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- To get a new car loan, Mariae Brooks, leader of the Judson Block Watch, forged documents, including one that says she is owed $11 million from a lottery prize, police say.
Brooks, 46, of West Judson Avenue, was arraigned Friday in Mahoning County Court, Austintown, on charges of falsification, forgery and sham legal process. Bond was set at $30,000.
Jail records show Brooks, who is very active in the block watch, has a history of charges of theft and passing bad checks that go back at least 10 years.
Explaining away bad credit
The investigation by Detective Gary Wollet at the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department determined that Brooks created a variety of letters, sheriff's department arrest reports and legal papers to explain away her bad credit.
The arrest reports were a means to make it appear that two women, Janice Antione and Margaret Antione, had fraudulently used her credit card.
The women don't exist, and the arrest reports don't even come close to those used by the sheriff's department, said Maj. Michael Budd.
Most of the deputies mentioned in the reports don't exist, either, he said.
Tried to buy a Dodge
Brooks is accused of supplying the paperwork to a salesman at Chuck Eddy Dodge in Austintown, where she tried to buy a new Dodge Stratus.
One letter, purportedly from the law firm of Betras, Maruca and Kopp in Canfield, misspelled Maruca as Macura. The letter to the car salesman states that Brooks, whose divorce was final May 28, can claim $11 million of a $44 million Pennsylvania lottery prize won in March by her ex-husband and his friend.
Budd said the car salesman contacted the law firm to see if it would co-sign for the Stratus. He said the salesman learned that Brooks is not a client of the law firm and the letter is a fake. There's also a letter purportedly from General Motors Acceptance Corporation to attorney Christopher "Macura" at Betras, "Macura" and Kopp. The letter explains away errors in Brooks' credit report.
A letter dated April 16 from Ford Motor Company to Brooks states that it had confirmed she was on active duty with the Army Reserves in Afghanistan in November 2001 and that a car bought in her name was really purchased fraudulently by Margaret Antione.
The letter says it will take 60 to 90 days for her credit report to reflect her release from the debt.
Budd said the lengths Brooks went to are staggering.
There's even a divorce decree, purportedly signed by domestic relations Judge Beth A. Smith that she didn't sign, the major said. The document shows that Brooks' ex-husband was to assume credit card debt of more than $18,000.
Arrested at dealership
Budd said Brooks was arrested at the Dodge dealership, where she'd gone Thursday evening, believing her loan had been approved and she could pick up her new car.
Brooks made news last month when she added a parade to the second annual Judzaar street fair. Kids in various Scouting groups were invited to participate.
She told The Vindicator she started the fair last year because she was tired of how everyone living on the South Side is stigmatized by perceptions of crime.
meade@vindy.com