Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Catalina Corona was arraigned on an indictment charging her with wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. While employed as a personal assistant to an elderly married couple (the Victims), Corona forged the Victims’ signatures on checks from various bank accounts and stole approximately $10 million from them. The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.
“The defendant’s greed knew no bounds, as she brazenly stole millions from elderly victims, using deceit to systematically steal the victims’ money and violate the trust they placed in her,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “My Office is committed to protecting the elderly from fraudulent schemes and ending elder abuse.”
“For years, the defendant took advantage of an elderly couple who trusted her to protect them and their interests,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Backschies. “As alleged in the indictment, she repeatedly defrauded these victims out of millions of dollars to enrich herself. Combatting the financial exploitation of elderly Americans remains a priority for the FBI, and we will continue to work hard to identify and disrupt anyone who attempts to target America’s seniors.”
As alleged in court filings, between approximately 2017 and 2024, while working for the Victims, Corona repeatedly deposited hundreds of checks written out to cash—made payable to herself—from the Victims’ bank accounts without their knowledge or consent. Many of these transactions took place in Queens and on Long Island within the Eastern District of New York.
Corona also posed as one of the Victims when calling the Victims’ bank to request information related to their accounts. In April 2024, one of the Victims received a call from the bank inquiring about checks written out to cash. The Victim explained that she never wrote checks out to cash and ultimately discovered that Corona had been forging checks and withdrawing money from the Victims’ bank account. The investigation further uncovered that Corona was not only stealing funds by fraudulently cashing checks, but was also transferring funds directly from the Victims’ accounts into her own personal accounts.
In total, Corona stole nearly $10 million, which she used to pay her credit card bills and to purchase luxury items from Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Gucci and other high-end brands. Specifically, Corona spent over $1 million on Louis Vuitton items alone, including luggage, purses valued at over $10,000, and apparel. Additionally, in just one day, Corona used over $25,000 in stolen funds for airline travel.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges in the indictment, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum of two years’ imprisonment on the aggravated identity theft charge, and a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca M. Urquiola is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Michael Castiglione who is handling forfeiture matters.