Opinion ID: 3046655
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Forged Will

Text: After DeSacia died intestate in January 2005, Dullum forged DeSacia’s signature on the will and trust, backdating both documents to 2004. The will purported to name Dullum the executor of the estate and Cetrulo the primary beneficiary. Representing himself as executor, Dullum got the Pension Fund to send him a check for $29,352.76, which was DeSacia’s lumpsum payout. He deposited the check into an estate bank account he had opened, and then transferred the proceeds to his personal account. Dullum did not inform DeSacia’s family that he was acting as executor. He told Cetrulo that the will named Cetrulo as the estate’s primary beneficiary. Yet Dullum only gave Cetrulo an amount less than $8,000, which he represented as the full proceeds of the estate.2 Dullum later admitted that he paid 2 At the sentencing hearing, a Secret Service agent involved in the investigation who had interviewed Cetrulo explained that, although Dullum paid Cetrulo approximately $8,000, the latter “gave [Dullum] back [$]8,500” based on a list Dullum created purportedly to repay him for “toys” and other things. Thus, the overall loss to Cetrulo was approximately $500. According to 4 Cetrulo to stop him from “pressuring me for my help” and asking questions about the will. He also told the estate’s creditors that the estate had little or no money, so it could not pay most of its outstanding debts. The Secret Service began an internal investigation concerning these issues in July 2005, after Dullum’s bank communicated with the agency to report suspicious activity involving his accounts. When agents questioned Dullum about the bank transfer from the estate’s account to his personal account, he claimed that DeSacia had rented his beach house. In support of this contention, he produced a fabricated $20,000 promissory note made out to him and purportedly executed by DeSacia.