Woman Pleads Guilty to Scamming Navy Seal, Mother

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- A Cedar Rapids woman has pleaded guilty to federal charges for stealing from a former Navy SEAL and his widowed mother.

Federal court documents say 60-year-old Robin Ann Bertelli began a romantic relationship with a former Navy SEAL in 2013. He lived with his elderly and widowed mother near Central City.

Bertelli soon moved in with them and would get the mail since the mother was not able to to do it herself.

Bertelli admitted in her plea agreement that she began stealing mail, including correspondence from Collins Community Credit Union.

Then, according to court records, Bertelli traveled to Puerto Rico in February 2016 with the former Navy SEAL. He died unexpectedly on that trip. Bertelli told others he hit his head on a rock and unexpectedly drowned.

Following his death, family members discovered that Bertelli had written 63 checks to herself from July 2013 through September 2016 from the accounts of both the mother and the former Navy SEAL.

The three checks written from the former Navy SEAL's account were dated after his death.

In all, the 63 checks totaled $191,500.

Bertelli is convicted of one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

A sentencing date has not been set, but Bertelli faces up to 32 years in prison, $1.25 million in restitution and fines and five years of supervised release.


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