WASHINGTON — The founder of the nonprofit Casa Ruby pleaded guilty to a single wire fraud charge in federal court Wednesday morning.
Ruby Corado, 54, reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's office after she was arrested in March by the FBI and charged with multiple felony counts. Prosecutors allege Corado funneled at least $150,000 in pandemic-related relief funds to her personal bank accounts in El Salvador.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's office detailed how Corado received nearly $960,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds to help the nonprofit stay afloat. The funds were intended to pay for employee wages, rent, and utilities among other expenses.
Corado operated Casa Ruby for 10 years. It provided transitional housing and other resources for LGBTQ+ youth. It operated strictly on public donations and grants from the D.C. government.
Federal prosecutors say during the COVID-19 pandemic Corado applied for taxpayer-based relief funds saying she needed the money to pay dozens of her employees. Instead, prosecutors say she transferred an estimated $180,000 of that money into a personal bank account.
During the trial, Corado took issue with the amount of money prosecutors claimed she misdirected. She told the judge only 15% of the taxpayer-backed funds were misused for a "project." Corado did not elaborate on the details of the project but was told by the judge she would be able to present her case ahead of the sentencing.
Corado is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10, 2025.
Outside of federal court, Corado was asked if she had anything to say following her guilty plea, she said, "Later on, when I go to the whole mention of giving my story."
Corado initially fled to El Salvador, but the FBI arrested her in March in Maryland.
Wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Judge Trevor McFadden also told Corado her sentencing may include mandatory restitution and paying up to $1 million.
Corado has been on 24-hour home detention in Maryland awaiting trial. But last month, court filings show a judge granted her four hours a week outside.
On Tuesday Judge McFadden also determined she would be placed on a supervised curfew with GPS monitoring due to her total compliance. Corado will have to be home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. until she is due back in federal court.
That's not the end of Corado's legal troubles, though.
In a separate lawsuit filed in November 2022, D.C.'s Attorney General accused her of violating D.C. law by not paying workers all their wages. Court filings say Casa Ruby received more than $9 million in grants from the D.C. government between 2016 and 2022 when the center stopped operations.
The case argues that despite that money, the charity was behind on rent and payroll.