KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A former employee of the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo has been sentenced on embezzlement charges.
Previously, Monica Mazei, who also goes by Karina Puing, had plead guilty to charges of wire fraud. She had been stealing money from immigrant clients who were seeking help with gaining citizenship.
In the time period of 2015 to 2019, she had told more than 20 of her clients that she filed their paperwork to help them gain citizenship, but never processed the forms. She had embezzled almost $60,000 in the process.
As a result, she has been sentenced to 33 months in prison. She must also pay back the money that she had stolen.
The Diocese of Kalamazoo released the following statement in regards to the case:
“The Diocese of Kalamazoo has a long-standing commitment to assist immigrants seeking a legal pathway to citizenship through its Immigration Assistance Program (IAP). We are devastated that our clients were defrauded by an individual misrepresenting the ministry during their time of employment. The IAP office continues to work with those individuals who were impacted and stands ready to assist all victims of fraud in this matter.
“We are grateful for the diligence of law enforcement as well as the U.S. Attorney General’s Office in bringing the legal matter to a resolution.”
