El Paso Real Estate Accountant Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wire Fraud
EL PASO, Texas / Thursday, February 19, 2026 – An El Paso woman was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 33 months in prison for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Carol Talamantes, 61, was employed as a certified public accountant for multiple real estate businesses operating in Texas and New Mexico, from which she stole $603,738.96 between Oct. 20, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2024. Talamantes fraudulently wrote company checks to herself, electronically transferred money from company bank accounts to her personal bank accounts, and transferred funds to herself via Automatic Clearing House (ACH) transactions through the real estate businesses. Talamantes initiated more than 90 fraudulent transactions from the real estate businesses directly to herself and used the proceeds for her own personal benefit, including to pay her home mortgage and personal credit card bill.
On Sept. 26, 2025, Talamantes was summoned to federal court, where she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and was granted a $20,000 bond. She also agreed to a money judgment of $603,738.96.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case.
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas
