Former Croatian diplomat arrested in USA for embezzling $750k

A Croatian diplomat who worked at the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has been arrested in the United States. Renata Supina Saltus has been charged by U.S. authorities with embezzling $750,000 from the mission through a years-long fraudulent invoicing scheme.

In a statement released Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton alleged that Supina-Saltus “turned the Croatian Mission into a personal piggy bank” while working there in a financial administrative role from 2017 to 2023.

The 59-year-old, who lives in Connecticut, faces up to 20 years in prison on one count of wire fraud and up to 10 years for each of two counts of money laundering.

Croatian authorities said a Foreign Ministry audit flagged suspicious activity, leading to the case. Following an internal investigation, and in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Croatia, the findings were shared with U.S. authorities, who then launched their own investigation and initiated proceedings against the suspect.