By Tiffany Williams –
QUEENS, N.Y. – Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Otto Starzmann, 60, of Anderson Road in St. Albans, has been charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property for allegedly diverting $872,440 from River Fund, a Richmond Hill-based nonprofit. The organization, which provides fresh produce to needy families, reportedly never received the food Starzmann was paid to secure.
According to the charges, Starzmann, who served as River Fund’s chief production officer, created a company called Foodgate Inc. and submitted five invoices between May 10, 2022, and October 26, 2022, totaling $872,440 for prepaid produce deliveries that were never made. Investigators found no evidence of any food being delivered to River Fund’s warehouse.
Instead, the money was deposited into a bank account controlled solely by Starzmann. Investigators allege that he transferred approximately $753,705 into a second personal account, using more than $429,000 to purchase 22 acres of land in Warwick, N.Y., and additional funds to pay an architecture firm and pad his own accounts.
District Attorney Katz said: “Instead of paying farmers to fill his employer’s warehouse with healthy food for the needy, the defendant is accused of stealing charitable funds. He allegedly violated the professional trust of his colleagues and used more than $429,000 to buy property for himself. I thank the NYPD and my Frauds Bureau for their work on this investigation.”
Starzmann was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Diego Freire on charges of grand larceny in the second degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree. If convicted, he faces five to 15 years in prison. Judge Freire ordered him to return to court on September 4.