A Texas woman will spend 61 months in federal prison for a scheme involving the theft of more than $2.7 million in government money and using a false Id and a Naples bank account in the ruse.
Kristin Cara Kunstler, 43, of Amarillo, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to five years and one month in federal prison for the theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. Kunstler pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025.
As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $2,797,083, the proceeds of the theft of government money.
According to court documents, on January 2, 2025, Kunstler knowingly stole money belonging to the United States Treasury by depositing a U.S. Treasury check belonging to the victim. Kunstler identified herself using the victim’s name and opened a bank account in the name of the victim at a bank branch located in Naples, FL.
Kunstler used the victim’s name, date of birth, and driver license number to open the account without the victim’s knowledge or consent, then deposited a U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $2,797,083 made payable to the victim. Kunstler was the sole signer on the bank account.
By February 19, 2025, Kunstler had withdrawn at least $1.5 million from the bank account. She used the money for her own use and the use of another.
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