NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, woman was arrested today for allegedly embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing affordable housing to residents of Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Yezenia Castillo, 44, of Hoboken, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with four counts of wire fraud. She is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From May 2015 to August 2016 Castillo used her position as the accountant for the non-profit company to issue unauthorized checks made payable to herself or entities she controlled. She forged the signature of the president of the company’s board of directors on those 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 the State of New Jersey on behalf of the company.

The counts of wire fraud each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi, and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vijay Dewan and Sammi Malek of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.