Utica Woman Indicted for Theft and Misappropriation of Funds as a Fiduciary
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Trina Gigliotti, age 54, of Utica, New York, was indicted earlier this month for misappropriating the funds of the legally incompetent spouse of a deceased veteran, 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 Gigliotti 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 $36,129.08, 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.
Gigliotti was arraigned yesterday in Syracuse, before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew T. Baxter, and released on conditions of supervision pending further proceedings.
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 Adrian S. LaRochelle.
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.