(WNY News Now) – A 46-year old Dansville woman admitted to participating in a scheme that took more than $252,000 from an elderly victim’s bank accounts.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Dansville woman has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for her role in a financial fraud scheme that targeted an elderly neighbor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.

Nahtahna Castner, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents and prosecutors, Castner and a co-conspirator defrauded a neighbor who was more than 90 years old between July 2020 and February 2023.

Prosecutors said Castner had established a position of trust with the victim. The co-conspirator allegedly used that relationship to gain access to the victim’s banking information.

The pair then reportedly made unauthorized withdrawals and purchases, including:

• Withdrawing large amounts of cash from ATMs.
• Transferring money to Castner’s personal bank account.
• Making purchases with the victim’s debit card.

The unauthorized transactions totaled approximately $252,672.97, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

During the scheme, the victim’s bank account savings reportedly fell from approximately $283,954.95 to $99.59.

Prosecutors also said Castner and the co-conspirator used the victim’s personal identifying information to apply for three credit cards.

The cards were allegedly used to make purchases, resulting in reported losses to three financial institutions of $2,039.04, $819.33 and $809.74.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York State Department of Financial Services.

The FBI investigation was led by Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II. The state financial services investigation was conducted under Acting Superintendent Kaitlin Asrow.