FLORIDA — A Riverview woman has been sentenced for embezzling $400,000 from senior citizens.
Victoria Zerillo, 49, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for wire fraud in connection with her embezzlement of funds from a senior citizen residential community.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the court also entered an order of forfeiture for $410,963.78, the proceeds of the wire fraud, as part of the sentence.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber sentenced Ms. Zerillo. She pleaded guilty on August 18, 2023.
According to court documents, Zerillo was employed as the general manager of a non-profit that provided HVAC, appliance, and plumbing repair services to members of a senior citizen residential community. Between December 2015 and November 2022, Ms. Zerillo and other individuals colluded to commit wire fraud and embezzled over $400,000 from the non-profit by fabricating false bank statements and destroying records.
Zerillo reportedly spent the money on personal expenses, including luxury vacations. At sentencing, members of the senior citizen community testified that Ms Zerillo’s embezzlement significantly harmed them financially.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie prosecuted it.