Saratoga Woman Indicted for Theft and Misappropriation of Funds as the Fiduciary of a Veteran

ALBANY, NEW YORK – JoAnne Natalie, age 64, of Saratoga Springs, New York, was indicted earlier this month for misappropriating the funds of a veteran declared legally incompetent, as well as stealing from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Christopher F. Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The charges filed against Natalie carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of $50,174.42, representing the amount allegedly stolen. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Natalie was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and released pending a trial scheduled before Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.

This case is being investigated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping.

This case is part of the Elder Justice Initiative. The mission of the Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s older adults. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving elders can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.