EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — An El Paso certified public accountant who stole more than $600,000 from multiple real estate businesses in Texas and New Mexico has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison.
According to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Carol Talamantes, 61, was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday to 33 months in prison for wire fraud
Court documents say Talamantes, who was employed as a certified public accountant for multiple real estate businesses operating in Texas and New Mexico, stole $603,738.96 between Oct. 20, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2024.
Investigators said Talamantes fraudulently wrote company checks to herself, electronically transferred money from company bank accounts to her personal bank accounts, and transferred funds to herself via Automatic Clearing House transactions through the real estate businesses.
Additionally, investigators said she initiated more than 90 fraudulent transactions directly to herself and used the proceeds for personal benefit, including paying her home mortgage and personal credit card bill.
Talamantes pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud last September and was granted a $20,000 bond. She also agreed to a money judgment of $603,738.96.
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