A Hudson, Florida man has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for his role in a $5 million wire fraud conspiracy involving rental properties in Western Pennsylvania. Paul Andrew Gulbronson, 59, received the sentence from United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines on September 9, 2025. He will also serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
According to court documents, Gulbronson and his wife, Kelly Bonilla—who remains a fugitive in Panama—ran Citrona Homes between 2017 and June 2019 from both Florida and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The couple operated a scheme targeting out-of-state investors by marketing distressed properties as “fully renovated” and occupied by Section 8 tenants. These properties were purchased cheaply and sold at much higher prices with false assurances about their condition and occupancy.
Settlement records from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) showed that Citrona bought over 100 homes for roughly $2 million and resold them for approximately $6 million within two years. Investigators found that most of these properties were uninhabitable or even vacant lots, resulting in losses of about $5 million for investors.
“Over the course of several years, Paul Gulbronson misled investors regarding the condition and status of their Citrona Homes properties in order to swindle millions of dollars from those victims, and then—upon learning that he was under investigation for these crimes—fled the United States, leaving dozens of dilapidated properties in his wake,” said Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. “As a result of the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, Gulbronson has been brought to justice and held accountable for his egregious criminal activity.”
Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge at the Pittsburgh Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, stated: “Gulbronson used a series of lies and misrepresentations to defraud investors into believing they had purchased fully renovated rental properties that would provide them with passive income. Instead of fulfilling his promises, he used their money to further the fraud scheme and pay for personal expenses, including restaurants, airline tickets, home furnishings, and lease payments for his residences in Florida. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service constantly strives to protect our customers from losing their hard-earned money through mail fraud schemes and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring those responsible to justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with HUD’s Office of Inspector General added: “Paul Gulbronson willfully engaged in a $5 million fraud scheme to induce individuals to make investments on properties under false pretenses, including false statements that payments would be made with federal taxpayer dollars. HUD OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement and oversight partners to vigorously pursue those who seek to profit by abusing HUD-funded programs.”
Gulbronson managed Citrona’s real estate sales activities despite not having an official title within the company. He was responsible for overseeing renovations—or lack thereof—and running operations at offices in both Holiday, Florida and Johnstown during this period.
The fraudulent operation involved misleading advertising online through staged photos that did not represent actual investment properties as well as making false promises about renovation timelines or property conditions. Some properties sold were condemned buildings or empty lots rather than viable rental units.
Assistant United States Attorneys Maureen Sheehan-Balchon and Brendan T. Conway prosecuted the case against Gulbronson on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti acknowledged both the United States Postal Inspection Service and HUD–Office of Inspector General for their investigative efforts leading up to this prosecution.
