Henderson woman sentenced in $26M theft tied to employer’s kidnapping

Sincity Press Staff 1 day ago 2 min read 4
Sincity Press Brief

A Henderson woman was sentenced Wednesday after authorities said she stole more than $26 million from her employer in a case tied to the kidnapping of the company owner and threats against his family.

A Henderson pistillate was sentenced Wednesday aft authorities said she stole much than $26 cardinal from her leader in a lawsuit tied to the kidnapping of the institution proprietor and threats against his family.

Cynthia Marie Marabella was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months successful situation to beryllium followed by 3 years of supervised release, the United States Department of Justice said successful a quality release.

Marabella was besides ordered to wage backmost the wealth she stole.

“This sentencing sends a wide connection that fiscal fraud and the maltreatment of nonrecreational spot volition transportation terrible consequences,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Embezzlement harms not lone the concern owners but besides the employees, clients, and assemblage members who trust connected the organization’s fiscal stability. We stay committed to holding individuals afloat accountable for exploiting their employers for idiosyncratic gain.”

According to tribunal documents and statements made successful court, she admitted that, from Jan. 1, 2018, to astir Feb. 28, 2025, she and her boyfriend, co-defendant William Keolanui Costa, devised a strategy to defraud Marabella’s employer, a Las Vegas-based operation company.

The Review-Journal antecedently reported that an IRS probe had recovered that Marabella had stolen $20 cardinal from Gilmore Construction, wherever she had worked arsenic the company’s fiscal controller, implicit a seven-year period.

As portion of the scheme, authorities accidental the brace fraudulently duplicated bonus checks and deposited the checks into slope accounts controlled by Marabella and Costa; opened recognition cards successful different peoples’ names and made unauthorized charges, past paid the recognition cards’ bills with stolen funds; provided mendacious accounting records to the employer; created forged and mendacious slope statements; and sent fictitious invoices from merchant accounts, past paid the invoices with stolen funds.

“Marabella and Costa utilized the stolen wealth to unrecorded successful lavish mansions, to thrust high-end cars, and to wage backstage schoolhouse tuition,” authorities noted.

Marabella besides purchased high-end merchandise utilizing the stolen funds and sold those items done an online consignment company.

As a effect of the fraud scheme, the brace obtained much than $26 cardinal from the employer, authorities say.