An El Paso certified public accountant was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $600,000 from several real estate businesses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said.
Carol Catherine Talamantes, 61, pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge in U.S. District Court in El Paso and was sentenced on Wednesday, Feb. 18, to two years plus nine months (33 months) in prison, authorities said.
Crime: FBI offers reward to solve Texas man’s death in Mexico border town
Talamantes transferred money and wrote checks to herself that she used to pay her home mortgage and personal credit card bill while working as a CPA for six real estate businesses in Texas and New Mexico, according to prosecutors and a federal charging document. The businesses are only identified by acronyms in the document.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Office said that Talamantes stole $603,738 between October 2020 and October 2024.
An El Paso certified public accountant, Carol Catherine Talamantes, was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud.
Talamantes made more than 90 fraudulent transfers from the real estate companies by writing company checks to herself, electronic money transfers from company bank accounts to her personal bank accounts and fund transfers via automatic clearing house transactions from the companies, the prosecution said.
More: El Paso businesswoman accused in $2.3 million fraud of COVID-19 relief PPP funds
An FBI investigation resulted in the case filed against Talamantes, who on Sept. 26 was summoned to federal court, where she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and agreed to pay a judgement of $603,738, officials said.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso accountant gets prison in $600,000 real estate business fraud
