Source: US FBI
TOLEDO, Ohio – A former executive director of a nonprofit organization has been sentenced to prison for embezzling funds which she then used to gamble at a local casino.
Sabina Serratos, 55, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick after pleading guilty in March to two counts of program fraud. She was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $534,539.98 in restitution. Judge Helmick imposed the sentence July 28, 2025.
According to court documents, she used her role at a nonprofit agency to use its funds for her personal benefit. Serratos served as the executive director of Adelante, Inc., a local nonprofit agency which provided resources and assistance to the Hispanic community in the Toledo area. As the director, she was provided access to the nonprofit’s bank accounts which were used to receive funding from federal grant awards.
From July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021, Serratos withdrew nearly $400,000 in cash from the Hollywood Casino in Toledo for her personal benefit.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Toledo Field Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Crawford for the Northern District of Ohio.
To report fraud, visit justice.gov/action-center/report-crime-or-submit-complaint.