Manager of NYC nonprofit pleads guilty to wire fraud

December 11, 2020 Editorial Staff

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, more informally known as Brooklyn Federal Court, in Downtown Brooklyn. Photo: Rob Abruzzese/Brooklyn Eagle

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In Brooklyn Federal Court, Ingris Coronado pleaded guilty late last week to charges of defrauding her former employer, Southern Queens Park Association (SQPA), a government-funded nonprofit that provides educational and other social services to young adults.

Brooklyn Federal Court Judge William F. Kuntz II, seen here, accepted the guilty plea of Ingris Coronado. Photo: Rob Abruzzese/Brooklyn Eagle

The guilty plea took place before United States District Judge William F. Kuntz II. When sentenced, Coronado faces up to 20 years in prison, as well as forfeiture and a fine of up to $250,000 for submitting false invoices and cashing checks issued in the names of other individuals.

Since at least 2014, Coronado worked as a project manager for SQPA, which received millions of dollars annually in New York City government funding. According to court filings and facts presented during the plea proceeding, between August 2014 and September 2018 Coronado engaged in a scheme to steal money from SQPA.

In particular, in her role as the supervisor of an after-school program run by SQPA, Coronado repeatedly falsified time sheets, collected checks issued in the names of more than 10 of her supervisees and deposited those checks into her own bank account.

On multiple occasions, Coronado also created false invoices for vendors for SQPA and deposited the resulting payment checks into her personal account. As a result of her fraudulent conduct, Coronado stole tens of thousands of dollars from SQPA.

Seth D. DuCharme, acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Margaret Garnett, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the guilty plea.

“For years, Coronado deceived her employer and abused her position at a not-for-profit organization by stealing funds that were meant to benefit members of the community,” said DuCharme. “Today’s guilty plea makes clear that individuals who engage in fraud to satisfy their own greed at the expense of the community they are supposed to be serving will be brought to justice.”

“Coronado stole money directly from a city-funded, not-for-profit program established to provide services to young adults. Today she’s admitted to her criminal activity and faces a significant jail sentence as a result of her behavior,” said Sweeney.

“This defendant falsified timesheets and vendor invoices and pocketed checks issued to employees and vendors, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars – stealing taxpayer funds meant to help residents of southern Queens who rely on this nonprofit’s programming. DOI is committed to investigating these damaging crimes that attack our city’s charitable organizations and diminish the impact of the city’s funding of their programs,” said Garnett.