Contractor stole millions from US, prosecutor says, but the maximum fine is $250,000

A Costa Rica businessman was entrusted to oversee the transfer of millions of dollars of U.S. government funds, but stole the money for his personal use, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Mauricio Andulo Hidalgo was the president of SafetyPay-Central America and was a contractor for the U.S Department of State, according to U.S. Attorney Sherri A. Lydon. Her office said the 43-year-old Costa Rica man's company had been hired by the U.S. government "to handle the processing of visa application fees for the United States Embassy," in his home country.

Rather than oversee the smooth transfer of funds, Lydon's office reported that Hidalgo used his position to steal more than "$2,000,000 of government funds that were supposed to be transferred to a bank account maintained by the Department of State's Global Financial Services Center in Charleston."

Hidalgo "diverted the funds from a SafetyPay bank account in Costa Rica to another Costa Rican account under his sole control," according to evidence presented in federal court, where Hidalgo pleaded guilty to the charge theft of government funds on June 14.

The maximum penalty Hidaldgo faces is a 10-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine, according to Lydon.

This story was originally published June 17, 2018 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Contractor stole millions from US, prosecutor says, but the maximum fine is $250,000."