Angelina Velasquez, 46, of Trumbull, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 15 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Velasquez worked as the payroll and human resources coordinator for a company. From about September 2007 to November 2009, she manipulated her employer’s payroll system and caused the company to generate approximately 350 unauthorized payroll checks, totaling approximately $247,570, in the names of 87 different employees at the company, according to prosecutors.
"She then intercepted the checks before delivery to the employees, forged their signatures on the back of the checks, deposited and cashed the checks at two banks and used the proceeds for her own personal use," they said.
In addition, she helped prepare and submit personal income tax returns. But in 2009, she defrauded someone out of her tax refund of $5,146, prosecutors said.
On Feb. 28, 2013, the suspect pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud.
The case was investigated by the Shelton Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
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