ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Zayra Olivia Alvarado, 36, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, appeared in federal court in Albuquerque on December 6 for an arraignment on an indictment charging her with theft of public money from the United States.
A grand jury returned an indictment against Alvarado on November 20. The indictment charged Alvarado with 100 counts of allegedly cashing checks drawn on the U.S. Department of Treasury each in the amount $1000 or more. Alvarado allegedly committed these offenses between Feb. 17, 2015, and Oct. 26, 2015, causing a loss to the Treasury of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Alvarado is currently out of custody pending trial. She faces up to 10 years in prison for each offense. An indictment is only an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Brawley is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
