Petrone, 42, of Georgia, pleaded responsible to one particular rely of wire fraud and a person count of filing a wrong tax return. She will fork out restitution to Yale and the IRS, and is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
Her attorney, Frank J. Riccio II, said in an e-mail that “Ms. Petrone has approved responsibility for her steps and is remorseful. She now appears to be like ahead to sentencing and repairing some of the injury that has been brought about.”
Federal authorities stated Petrone started doing work for Yale in 2008 and most just lately served as director of finance and administration for the Department of Emergency Medicine. In that role she had authority to make and authorize purchases up to $10,000 for the division, authorities reported.
Officers reported Petrone purchased or purchased others to obtain millions of dollars of electronics and personal computer machines these kinds of as Apple iPads and MacBooks and cameras using Yale Med cash, splitting up the purchases to drop below the $10,000 threshold. The merchandise have been later on transported to an out-of-point out small business, which resold the machines and wired revenue to Maziv Amusement LLC, a company of which Petrone is a principal, in accordance to federal officers. She then utilized the proceeds for personalized fees these kinds of as journey, luxury vehicles and serious estate.
As component of the plea, Petrone has agreed to forfeit a lot more than $500,000 that was seized from Maziv Leisure and liquidate 3 qualities she owns or co-owns in Connecticut toward restitution, authorities claimed. An additional assets in Ga is also issue to seizure and liquidation, according to federal officers. She also agreed to forfeit 6 cars, which include Cadillacs, Mercedes-Benz and a Land Rover/Range Rover.
Petrone did not pay taxes on the income, in accordance to federal officials, submitting untrue claims for the 2013-2016 tax many years, and no federal returns from 2017 to 2020 — costing the U.S. Treasury much more than $6 million.
Petrone and an lawyer symbolizing her did not right away reply to requests for remark Thursday.
Yale to begin with alerted authorities to suspected felony behavior very last year, stated Karen N. Peart, a spokeswoman for the university. “The university thanks nearby law enforcement, the FBI, and the U.S. attorney’s office for their managing of the scenario,” she wrote in an e mail. “Since the incident, Yale has worked to discover and right gaps in its internal money controls.”
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, FBI, IRS and Yale Law enforcement Section investigated the case.
Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.
