Cedar Rapids woman convicted of stealing nearly $200,000 from deceased boyfriend and his mother

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids woman was convicted Thursday for stealing nearly $200,000 from her deceased boyfriend and his mother for about three years.

Robin Ann Bertelli, 60, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The plea agreement shows Bertelli admitted that she began a romantic relationship with a former Navy SEAL, identified in court documents as 'K.M.,” in 2013, who lived with his elderly widowed mother in rural Central City. Bertelli then moved in with the son and mother and started stealing mail from the widow, including items sent to her from Collins Community Credit Union, because the mother was unable to walk to her mailbox to check her mail.

In December 2015, K.M. received an inheritance of about $18,000 from a relative and deposited it into his checking account. In February 2016, Bertelli and K.M. traveled to Puerto Rico for a vacation, but during the trip, K.M. unexpectedly died in Puerto Rico.

Bertelli reported to others that K.M. went swimming, hit his head on a rock, and accidentally drowned, according to court documents.

His family members ultimately discovered that Bertelli had stolen blank checks him and his mother, according to court documents. From July 2013 through September 2016, Bertelli fraudulently wrote63 checks to herself and forged their signatures. She then deposited them into her own account at another bank, fraudulently causing transfers of funds from the credit union, which belonged to K.M. and his mother, the plea shows.

Three of the transfers occurred after the death of K.M., Bertelli stole a total of $191,500. Bertelli used the funds for her own purposes, including a purchase of a BMW, according to court documents.

Bertelli faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 32 years in federal prison and up to over $1 million fine.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Vavricek and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice's Elder Abuse Initiative. In March 2016, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa was selected as one of ten districts nationwide to launch regional Elder Justice Task Forces, which is committed to protecting seniors.

l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com