A Livingston County resident could face more than two decades in federal prison for bilking a vulnerable elderly neighbor out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, a federal prosecutor said.
Nahtahna Castner, 46, of Dansville, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa on Feb. 11 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to Michael DiGiacomo, U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York.
The charges carry a minimum penalty of two years in prison, and a maximum of 22 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that between July 2020 and February 2023, Castner and a co-conspirator conspired to defraud a 90-year-old victim.
Using Castner’s position of trust, the co-conspirator gained access to the victim’s banking information. Castner and the co-conspirator then began withdrawing large sums of cash from ATMs, initiating wire transfers to Castner’s personal bank account, and making purchases using the victim’s debit card.
Prosecutors said Castner and the co-conspirator executed approximately $252,672 worth of sketchy transactions, most not authorized by the victim.
Over the length of the fraud, the victim’s savings account went from approximately $283,954.95 to $99.59, the U.S. Attorney’s Office contends.
In addition, Castner and the co-conspirator used the victim’s personal identifying information to apply for three credit cards in the victim’s name. According to prosecutors, they then used the credit cards to make purchases resulting in fraud against three financial institutions of $2,039.04, $819.33, and $809.74.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the New York State Department of Financial Services.
Sentencing will take place June 9, 2026, before Judge Siragusa.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Dansville woman pleads guilty to defrauding elderly neighbor, draining funds
Reporting by Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
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