BRONX, NY – Maria Garcia, 75, of Seffner, Florida, and Mara Garcia, 39, of Doral, Florida, were sentenced on last Monday, to five years of probation and 500 hours of community service.
They have been found guilty of defrauding an elderly woman out of approximately $760,000. Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the sentencing, which also ordered the duo to repay more than $680,000 to the deceased woman’s estate.
The Garcias pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal tax fraud on April 21. As part of the plea agreement, they will return $225,000 in cash, followed by a signed confession of judgment for $456,000.
The defendants acknowledged their tax liabilities, with Mara Garcia’s estimated at approximately $155,000 and Maria Garcia’s at approximately $58,000.
Between June 13, 2017, and February 20, 2021, the Garcias, who knew the victim through their Santeria practice, swindled approximately $840,000 from Eladia Perez.
This sum included $760,000 from the sale of Perez’s house in Soundview. Perez, 92 years old at the time, has since passed away.