BOSTON - A Holden woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Worcester in connection with a scheme to steal nearly $1 million from her elderly in-laws.
Chiao Fang Ku, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 18 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $954,571 in restitution. In August 2014, Ku pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
After Ku’s father-in-law became ill in 2008, Ku offered to help her mother-in-law manage the couple’s finances. Ku was given access to her in-laws’ savings and investment accounts. She thereafter began siphoning funds from those accounts through online transfers, forged checks, and cash withdrawals. Ku used the money for on-line gambling activities and other personal uses. She also obtained credit cards in her mother-in-law’s name without authorization, and then used those cards for personal expenses. In total, Ku stole over $950,000 from her in-laws over a five-year period.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Eric P. Christofferson of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
