ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)– On Friday, a Rensselaer woman was arraigned in federal court for alleged bank fraud and theft. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 59-year-old Kimberly Cardella is accused of stealing thousands in social security and pension benefits from her deceased mother-in-law.
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According to court documents, a grand jury indicted Cardella on September 3, nearly two weeks before her arraignment. She was charged with bank fraud, theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.
Officials said Cardella allegedly wrote herself checks and signed them using her mother-in-law’s name for nearly 17 years. The indictment alleged that more than $530,000 was taken in Social Security funds and more than $138,000 was taken in pension funds, totaling $668,884.
“The fact that this defendant openly signed her own dead mother-in-law’s name on checks that did not belong to her, in effect adopting her mother-in-law’s identity to obtain public funds intended for those in genuine need is simply shocking,” First Assistant United States Attorney John Sarcone said. “The fact that she continued this scheme for nearly seventeen years underscores the need for continued robust oversight and enforcement in our public benefits programs.”…