ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) - A property manager who stole more than $120,000 from an elderly tenant to pay for lavish vacations and designer clothes has been spared a prison term.
Natalia Calderon-Diaz, 33, of Elizabeth, was sentenced Monday to five years of probation and must pay $75,000 in restitution to the woman’s estate. She had pleaded guilty last year to theft.
The 89-year-old victim, who died several weeks ago, had lived alone at the Linden Arms complex in Elizabeth and had no immediate family.
Calderon-Diaz, who was a property manager at the complex, gradually gained the victim’s trust and withdrew $122,482 from her bank account without her knowledge or permission, authorities said. She spent the money on trips to destinations such as Las Vegas and Florida, high-end designer clothing and other items.
The thefts occurred from December 2017 through June 2019.
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