Personal Assistant Who Stole Nearly $10 Million From Elderly Employers Sentenced to 48 Months in Brooklyn Federal Court, Ordered to Forfeit $9.6 Million
A Queens personal assistant was sentenced on October 27 in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, to 48 months in prison for wire fraud in connection with a long-running scheme to defraud her elderly employers, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York announced. Catalina Corona, 62, of Queens, was also ordered to pay $9.6 million in forfeiture. She pleaded guilty to the charge in April 2026, and U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis imposed the sentence.
According to court filings and statements in court, Corona began her professional relationship with Victim-1 in the early 2000s as a secretary for his company. After Victim-1 passed away in May 2022, she continued as a personal assistant for his wife. 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. In total she stole nearly $10 million, used to pay her credit card bills and purchase luxury items: approximately $1,117,000 at Louis Vuitton, approximately $125,500 at Cartier, nearly $300,000 at Gucci and approximately $305,000 at Apple. She hid the items in two rented storage units, where law enforcement estimated more than 300 luxury items were stashed.
"Today's sentence holds the defendant accountable for a calculated scheme to steal nearly $10 million from her elderly employers who had entrusted her with their financial affairs for many years," stated U.S. Attorney Nocella. The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca M. Urquiola.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于纽约 Brooklyn 的美国纽约东区联邦法院大楼。CC BY 2.0，经维基共享资源。 / The U.S. Courthouse for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
