The wife of a man accused of being part of a massive real estate investment fraud scheme allegedly destroyed his phone in an effort to deter a federal investigation, officials said.

Jennifer Iturralde Pina, 43, of Franklin Lakes, was charged with destroying the records and was released on $200,000 bail Tuesday after her appearance in federal court in Newark, according to a statement from the District Attorney’s Office New Jersey.

Her husband, Franklin Lakes resident Cesar Humberto Pina, 43, aka “Flipping NJ,” was charged on October 16, 2023 with wire fraud after allegedly using her large social media following to defraud victims of millions of dollars in the scheme, the bureau said.

Cesar allegedly collected about $17 million from dozens of investors to renovate and resell four different residential properties in New Jersey, according to a criminal complaint filed in the District Court of New Jersey.

After he flipped and sold the homes for a profit, many investors reported receiving no payment or only a small portion of their original investment, investigators said.

After his release on bail, his wife learned the government had received evidence from a witness related to Pina’s case, federal prosecutors said. Shortly thereafter, she asked a friend to tell the witness to stop assisting the government.

In early March of this year, the government obtained search warrants for two of Jennifer’s phones — which the government believed she used in connection with the real estate fraud scheme and the attempt to discourage the witness from assisting the government — and a phone belonging to friend, the office said.

On March 3, she tried unsuccessfully to hide one of her phones at her friend’s home, officials said.

Two days later, the friend’s family member called to tell Jennifer that law enforcement had just confiscated the friend’s phone, the statement said. Shortly afterward, as police knocked on Iturraldes’ door to execute a warrant to seize her phones, she destroyed one of the phones, authorities allege.

Cesar began accepting investments from victims in 2017, federal prosecutors said. In the years preceding the alleged scheme, he collaborated with a famous disc jockey and radio personality to organize real estate investment seminars throughout the country.