Local Woman Sentenced on Embezzlement and Tax Charges

St. Louis, MO – Anastasia Grzeskowiak was sentenced to 51 months imprisonment for embezzling $2.9 million from the account of a disabled individual whose financial affairs she was entrusted with managing.

According to court documents, beginning in 2000, an individual with whom Grzeskowiak was previously acquainted developed a blinding eye disease that significantly impaired his vision and ability to read, and thus to manage his own financial affairs. In June 2003, that individual asked Grzeskowiak to assist him in paying his personal bills, which she did until April 2013.

Between June 2006 and continuing through April 2013, Grzeskowiak forged her victim’s signature on more than 800 checks which she made out to herself, endorsed and used to pay her personal expenses, the expenses of others and to gamble. In total, she obtained more than $2,916,091 from the victim without his authorization, as well as causing him to incur substantial legal and accounting expenses in order to uncover the fraud.

Additionally, Grzeskowiak filed false tax returns for 2010 through 2012, understating her gross income from the illegal activity described above, resulting in a tax loss of $506,496.

Grzeskowiak, St. Charles, MO, pled guilty in January to one felony count of wire fraud and three felony counts of filing false tax returns. She appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Carol E. Jackson. In addition to her prison sentence, Grzeskowiak was ordered by Judge Jackson to make restitution to the victims of her crimes in the total amount of $3,558,993.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Richard Finneran handled the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.