Related Federal Cases
- Makaeia Demps, Aggravated Identity Theft, Florida 2011 · Florida
- Sheldon Mozie II, Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Providencia Llanos, Identity Theft, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Nick Caty, Identity Theft and Tax Refund Fraud, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Reginald Steele-Nelson, Identity Theft and Unemployment Insurance Fraud, Florida 2014 · Florida
Former FDOT Employee and Husband Charged with Theft of $370,000 in Federal Grant Funds
Tampa, Florida – Actning United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announced the return of an indictment charging Tracy Dean Tronco (51, Lakeland) and Alejo Tronco-Diaz (50, Lakeland) with one count of conspiracy to commit federal program theft, one count of mail fraud, and two counts of federal program theft. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count, up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the mail fraud count, and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the program theft counts.
According to the indictment, Tronco worked as a Transit Coordinator and Passenger Operations Specialist at the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) District 7 office in Tampa from May 2010 through August 2015. As part of her work, she had a role in awarding federal grant funds to FDOT, which were provided by the United States Department of Transportation. Tronco-Diaz, who married Tronco in 2012, was an FDOT grant applicant who operated an alleged church, Ministerio A Gran Voz De Trompeta Campus, Inc. (Ministerio), in Hillsborough and Polk Counties.
Tronco used her position at FDOT to award more than $370,000 in federal funds to Ministerio and another religious ministry that claimed to be partnering with Ministerio to provide transportation services. The grant money was supposed to be used to purchase and renovate a commercial property in Hillsborough County, to provide job and transportation-related services, to purchase three new vehicles, and to reimburse the operation’s vehicle maintenance costs. However, the funds and vehicles were not used for the purposes stated in the grant paperwork, but, instead, were kept by Tronco, her husband, and other co-conspirators.
Tronco also failed to disclose to FDOT her personal relationship with Tronco-Diaz, which constituted a conflict of interest that would have prevented her from handling the awards in question. Tronco resigned from FDOT in lieu of termination on April 27, 2016.
Tronco and Tronco-Diaz are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs.
Defendant: Tracy Dean Tronco, Alejo Tronco-Diaz
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit federal program theft, mail fraud, federal program theft
City and State: Tampa, Florida
Date: Not specified in the source
Sentence/Outcome: Currently pending
Dollar Amount: $370,000
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
White Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar Crime