An National Basketball Association player's personal assistant was sentenced to 70 months in prison for the theft of $4.7 million.
Theodore Itsvan Joseph Kritza, 46, of Superior, Colo., has been sentenced to five years and eight months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to bank and wire fraud, according to an April 20 Department of Justice news release. Kritza is also required to to pay $4,794,874 in restitution to the victim.
“We see this scenario time and again," U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in the release. "A confidant abuses a position of trust and embezzles someone else’s assets. Thanks to our partners at the FBI for their hard work on the investigation."
In April 2005, an NBA player hired Kritza to be his personal assistant and take care of his daily needs, such as paying his bills, the release reported. Between 2005 and 2012, the Kritza reportedly obtained money from the player by forging the victim's signature on more than two dozen documents, including a number of business loans, line of credit applications and a power of attorney. Kritza also reportedly tampered with his employer's signature to start a bank account in the victim's name so he could hide the use of the victim's personal funds.
“For years, Theodore Kritza preyed upon the trust he gained with the victim and defrauded him of his hard-earned money and savings, choosing greed over trust," FBI agent Sean Kaul said in the release. "Today, Kritza found out the cost of his scheme. This sentencing sends a clear message that fraud is a serious crime, with serious consequences. The FBI remains committed to pursuing justice for all victims of fraud.”
