CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas woman accused of taking at least $500,000 from a government program has been arrested.
Kristy Bochecchio, 45, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested and charged under the Criminally Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act with participating in frauds on creditors; obtaining money by false pretenses; fraudulent claims upon the government; access to computer for fraudulent purposes and grand larceny, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began on June 9, 2023, when the Economic Crime Unit, St. Thomas District, began investigating a complaint filed by the Office of Management and Budget, according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Kristy Bochecchio, 45, of St. Thomas.
“Investigation revealed that over $500,000.00 were illegally taken from the 2020 Government of the Virgin Islands Economic Stimulus Account which occurred over a period of time,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Bochecchio’s arrest, and it was placed in the National Crime Information Center System (NCIC), according to Chichester.
On June 19, 2024, Bochecchio surrendered to Economic Crime Unit detectives, police said.
Bail for Bochecchio was set at $100,000.00. Unable to post bail, she was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing