A former Hudson, Florida resident has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for his role in a wire fraud conspiracy that defrauded investors of nearly $5 million through the sale of uninhabitable or non-existent rental properties in Western Pennsylvania.
Paul Andrew Gulbronson, 59, received a 78-month sentence and three years of supervised release from United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines on September 9, 2025. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Gulbronson and his wife, Kelly Bonilla—who remains a fugitive in Panama—operated Citrona Homes between Florida and Johnstown, Pennsylvania from 2017 to June 2019. According to court information, they used Citrona Homes to lure investors with promises of “fully renovated” Section 8 rental properties. Most buyers were out-of-state investors who were told their purchases would be tenant-occupied and managed by Citrona.
Records show that Citrona bought more than 100 distressed properties for about $2 million over two years and resold them for approximately $6 million. Few properties were habitable; some were vacant lots. Financial records revealed that Citrona took in over $5.3 million from investors, with losses estimated at around $5 million.
“Over the course of several years, Paul Gulbronson misled investors regarding the condition and status of their Citrona Homes properties in order to swindle millions of dollars from those victims, and then—upon learning that he was under investigation for these crimes—fled the United States, leaving dozens of dilapidated properties in his wake,” said Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. “As a result of the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, Gulbronson has been brought to justice and held accountable for his egregious criminal activity.”
Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge of the Pittsburgh Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, stated: “Gulbronson used a series of lies and misrepresentations to defraud investors into believing they had purchased fully renovated rental properties that would provide them with passive income. Instead of fulfilling his promises, he used their money to further the fraud scheme and pay for personal expenses, including restaurants, airline tickets, home furnishings, and lease payments for his residences in Florida. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service constantly strives to protect our customers from losing their hard-earned money through mail fraud schemes and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring those responsible to justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General added: “Paul Gulbronson willfully engaged in a $5 million fraud scheme to induce individuals to make investments on properties under false pretenses, including false statements that payments would be made with federal taxpayer dollars. HUD OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement and oversight partners to vigorously pursue those who seek to profit by abusing HUD-funded programs.”
Investigators found that Gulbronson operated without an official title but controlled Citrona’s operations—including sales calls made from Florida targeting potential investors nationwide—and oversaw property renovations or lack thereof. A management office in Johnstown handled property management tasks such as rent collection and maintenance coordination.
Further inquiry revealed that photographs shown on Citrona’s website were staged images not representative of actual investment opportunities; some sold properties were condemned buildings or empty lots.
Assistant United States Attorneys Maureen Sheehan-Balchon and Brendan T. Conway led prosecution efforts on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti recognized both the United States Postal Inspection Service and HUD–Office of Inspector General for their roles in investigating this case.
