News: Long Island Charity Worker Faces Charges
(Long Island, N.Y.) A forty-five-year old office manager from Baldwin was arrested on Tuesday for stealing money from the charity that employed her. The name of the charity is Sustainable Long Island, a not-for-profit organization that deals with economic development, environmental health, and social equity on Long Island. Though it’s estimated that the woman spent about $130,000 of the charity’s funds, police say that the figure could reach $200,000 at the conclusion of their investigation.
The charity, which is a well-known organization out of Bethpage, has since terminated their former office manager. She had been working with the charity since ’05, and has been issued a warrant for making a bad check. The charity is considered an advocacy group that deals with “smart-growth” initiatives and “think-tank” issues.
The arraignment was last Wednesday at the First District Court in Hempstead. The defendant was represented by legal aid who was unable to comment on the status of their cases. Reports have stated that most of the money stolen from the charity has yet to be returned, and a statement on their website explains the following:
“Through the course of Sustainable Long Island’s regular audit preparations, the organization came across unauthorized expenditures by a staff member. Upon discovering these expenses, Sustainable Long Island immediately informed local authorities and terminated the employee. We are working cooperatively with the authorities and counsel to investigate and recover funds.”
Sustainable Long Island also deals with downtown revitalization and community redevelopment projects throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. It helps to promote affordable housing and proactive business endeavors while maintaining an environmentally-friendly policy. The unauthorized expenditures made by their former office manger date back at least six months to August of ’10.
The woman in question pleaded not guilty yesterday to grand larceny, identity theft, and scheming to defraud charges. Her bail was $10,000 cash on a $20,000 bond. She was allegedly racking up steep credit card bills and using the charity’s funds to pay them off.
Workers of the charity say they got suspicious during an internal auditing process. The variety of expenditures that were unaccounted for wound up being traced to their former office manager’s credit card expenses. Some of the charges she made were for her dog’s veterinarian bills and airfare for a vacation in the Caribbean where members of her family resided.
The former office manager was also caught spending the charity’s funds on bills for electronics. Authorities say the woman purchased an iPad, iPhone, and luxury television. It’s unclear why she thought such purchases would go unnoticed to coworkers and supervisors of the charity.
In addition to economic development work, Sustainable Long Island unites residents, students, businesses, government officials, civic and labor groups, and clergy in efforts to maintain the value of the community. It is a proponent for equal economic opportunity and employment for all of Long Island’s residents. Its staple includes “planning regionally and acting locally” to get such goals accomplished, and keeping residents involved with decisions that affect their communities. The charity is currently accepting donations and prospers off the motto: “Rethink. Rebuild. Renew.”
