BURLINGTON — A federal judge has handed down a probationary sentence to a New York woman who served as the head of the union representing U.S. Department of Homeland Security workers in Vermont and New York and who admitted embezzling from that union. 

LeticiaRussi-Shareno, 60, pleaded guilty in December to a single count of wire fraud in connection with the theft that resulted in a $36,000 “out-of-pocket” loss to the union, according to court filings. 

Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Russi-Shareno to three years of probation during a hearing late Thursday afternoon in federal court in Burlington. The judge also required that Russi-Shareno make restitution to the union of $36,000. 

Reiss, in imposing the probationary sentence, said she took into consideration Russi-Shareno’s lack of a prior criminal record and her early acceptance of responsibility in the case. 

Russi-Shareno addressed the judge during the hearing, telling her she did not know why she stole the money from the union and she was working through counseling to try to come up with the answers. 

Russi-Shareno said she didn’t need the money, as her job at that time paid her more than $130,000 a year. “I’m trying to find out myself why I did this,” she told the judge.

“I want to apologize to the union, to you and my family for my behavior,” Russi-Shareno said to Reiss.   

According to charging documents, the embezzlement took place between August 2019 and December 2020 when Russi-Shareno lived in the Buffalo, New York, area. 

At that time, court filings stated, Russi-Shareno served as president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2076, the union representing employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who worked in Vermont and upstate New York.

The union had a bank account at the Vermont Federal Credit Union in Vermont, according to court records, and in her role as union president Russi-Shareno had check-signing authority and a debit card that allowed her to make purchases. 

“As part of the embezzlement, Russi-Shareno made many ATM withdrawals from the VFCU account and used those moneys for her personal benefit,” according to the charging document. 

The charging documents also accused Russi-Shareno of falsifying expense reports and records. 

Mark Kaplan, Russi-Shareno’s attorney, argued during Thursday’s hearing for a sentence for his client that did not include any prison time. 

The federal sentencing guideline range in the case was four to 10 months in prison, according to court filings. The guidelines are advisory, but federal judges often take them into consideration when handing down a sentence. 

Russi-Shareno, Kaplan said, was currently taking part in mental health counseling that would be interrupted if ordered to serve a prison sentence. 

“In addition,” he defense attorney wrote in a court filing ahead of Thursday’s hearing, “individuals who know Leticia would never have expected her to become involved in embezzlement, considering her reputation and character.” 

Also, according to Kaplan, Russi-Shareno is “gainfully employed” and does not have a drug or alcohol problem.

“Although there is no question that Leticia has been convicted of a serious crime, a period of incarceration would do more harm than good,” Kaplan wrote in his court filing. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Aliberti, the prosecutor in the case, argued for a prison sentence at the “low end” of the sentencing guideline range. 

“The Defendant’s fraud is a serious offense,” Aliberti wrote in his sentencing memo filed ahead of Thursday’s hearing. “The case contains aggravating factors such as the amount that was stolen and the defendant’s position of trust.” 

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