Yezenia Castillo, 44, of Hoboken, was charged with four counts of wire fraud for “using her position as the accountant for the non-profit company to issue unauthorized checks made payable to herself or entities she controlled,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.
Although federal authorities didn’t publicly identify the company, Daily Voice learned that Castillo worked for the Great Englewood Housing Corporation at Rock Creek Terrace.
Carpenito said Castillo “forged the signature of the president of the company’s board of directors” on the checks, “representing to the company that the payments were for legitimate business expenses, including tax payments to be made on behalf of the company.”
A review of bank records during this period did not identify tax payments made by Castillo to the IRS or to the state of New Jersey on behalf of the company, he said.
Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General and the FBI with the investigation leading to the charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vijay Dewan and Sammi Malek of his Economic Crimes Unit are handling the case, the U.S. attorney said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Highland Lakes-Vernon and receive free news updates.