Queens Film Festival founder arraigned for stealing $14,000 in goods and services

QUEENS, NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) – The founder and executive director of the Queens International Film Festival was arraigned for allegedly stealing approximately $14,000 in goods and services from four vendors in the 2007 and 2008 editions of the festival, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said on Wednesday.

Marie Castaldo, 52, of Queens, New York, was arraigned on Tuesday night on charges of first-degree scheme to defraud, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny, third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and second-degree harassment.

“The defendant is accused of duping advertising and film industry vendors into providing their services for free to her film festival by – in most cases – making a small up-front payment and then refusing to make any further payments,” Brown said.

In August 2007, Castaldo contacted Stacy Lavender, the owner of the Ballyhoo Central, an advertising company and inquired about the production of marketing material for the Queens International Film Festival (QIFF), a purported non-profit organization.

Castaldo allegedly ordered and received $9,740.50 in goods from Ballyhoo and made one payment of $1,200. Lavender repeatedly demanded the remaining amount but Castaldo refused to make any further payments. Eventually, Lavender confronted her in November 2008. Castaldo chased her and threatened to interfere and ruin Ballyhoo’s business relationships.

In addition, Castaldo contacted Daniel Nuxoll, the program director for Rooftop Films, Inc., a cinematography company, on November 8, 2007. She inquired about the rental of a full cinema set up for the QIFF; Castaldo claimed that the festival was a non-profit organization and was tax exempt.

Rooftop provided $2,650 worth of goods that Castaldo requested. As with Lavender, Castaldo refused to pay Nuxoll and even told him not to come to the festival as she had men there who would make him regret it.

In November 2008, the QIFF founder contacted Leonid Fishman, the audio visual engineer for Big Apple Rentals, and James Hill, a freelance projectionist, in order to engage in business relations with them.

Castaldo rented $2,740 in video equipment from Big Apple Rentals and received $1,250 in services from Hill, including the rental of video and audio equipment. Castaldo gave a check for $2,740 to Fishman but it was returned by the bank for insufficient funds. Hill only received $250 from the amount owed.

The subsequent investigation, conducted by the New York State Police, revealed that the QIFF was not registered as a non-profit organization.

Castaldo was ordered held on a $15,000 bail and to return to court on August 24. If convicted, she faces up to seven years in prison.

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