A Dansville woman was sentenced to four years in federal prison after prosecutors said she and another person drained nearly all the savings from an elderly neighbor's bank account.
Nahtahna Castner, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York said Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Castner had gained the trust of a vulnerable neighbor who was older than 90. Between July 2020 and February 2023, Castner and a co-conspirator used that relationship to gain access to the victim's banking information.
The pair made cash withdrawals at ATMs, initiated wire transfers into Castner's personal bank account and used the victim's debit card for purchases, according to the government. Prosecutors placed the unauthorized transactions at $252,672.97.
The victim's bank savings fell from about $283,955 to $99.59 during the scheme, prosecutors said.
Castner and the co-conspirator also used the victim's identifying information to apply for three credit cards in the victim's name, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Purchases on those cards caused losses of $2,039.04, $819.33 and $809.74 to three financial institutions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani prosecuted the case. The FBI and the New York State Department of Financial Services investigated.
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