Staten Island School Purchasing Secretary Allegedly Stole Funds, Wrote Checks To Herself, Paid Fake Vendors, Among Other Crimes: DA McMahon, Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman Announce Indictment

District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman Announce Indictment of School Secretary After Long-Term Investigation Into Theft of Funds

DA McMahon’s office provided the Staten Islander with the following statement: 

“This defendant’s alleged crimes over a period of several years robbed the students and staff of PS 21 of funds meant to be used for books, materials, and other supplies to support the pursuit of a high-quality education for Staten Islanders as young as five years old.

“Every single day, thousands of Staten Islanders travel to work in our borough’s public schools to honestly and earnestly do the best possible job they can on behalf of our children, so when the trust we place in them to do that job is broken, there must be serious consequences. We will continue our vigorous pursuit of justice against Mrs. Cenci in the weeks to come, and urge all of our school administrators to examine their procurement policies and safeguards to be sure something like this does not happen in their building.” 

According to District Attorney McMahon, as stated during the press conference, Michele Cenci of Annadale, who is the former Purchasing Secretary at P.S. 21, is accused of stealing $145,060.11 from the treasury of P.S. 21.  The methods which she used were described in detail by the District Attorney.  He states that she wrote 127 checks to herself totaling over $80,000, and she made 257 payments totaling about $56,000 to accounts where she was the signatory, through the school’s small item procurement system.  This system is made to allow small items to be purchased for the students.

In addition, Ms. Cenci allegedly created and then paid fake vendors using her maiden name and the names of her relatives.  She allegedly reimbursed herself for purchases she did not make, and reimbursed herself multiple times for legitimate purchases that she did make.  She is also alleged to have written checks to other teachers and staff at the school, and then endorsed the checks to herself when cashing them.  The District Attorney and the Special Commissioner, along with many others, conducted a thorough investigation of records over the last seven years, as she is alleged to have committed these crimes between 2016 and 2023.

All of the funds she is alleged to have stolen were meant to support the education of the students at the school.  This issue was of particular importance to DA McMahon, as he considers the education of our children of paramount importance, and it is also a primary responsibility of the government.

According to public records, her annual income at her job at P.S. 21 was $52,653.

She was arraigned on an 18 count indictment Thursday morning, prior to the press conference.  DA McMahon was joined by Special Commissioner for the NYC School District for Investigations, Anastasia Coleman, along with several retired police officers and other community members.

You can read the full indictment here.

The press release, with additional information, is below: 

District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District Anastasia Coleman Announce 18 Count Indictment of Michele Cenci, Former Purchasing Secretary at PS 21 in Elm Park, For Stealing Over $145,000 in School Funds Over 7 Year Period

Cenci Faces Significant Prison Time if Convicted on Top Charges; Was Arraigned and Entered a Plea of Not Guilty in Staten Island Supreme Court This Morning

Today, Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon and Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District (SCI) Anastasia Coleman announced an 18-count indictment of Michele Cenci, the former Purchasing Secretary at PS 21 in Elm Park, for allegedly stealing over $145,000 in school funds from 2016 through March 2023. Cenci, who had full access to the school’s checkbook and Small Item Payment Procurement System (SIPPS) used a variety of means to divert school funds over 400 separate times to her own accounts and accounts of her family members on which she was a signatory.

“This defendant’s alleged crimes over a period of several years robbed the students and staff of PS 21 of funds meant to be used for books, materials, and other supplies to support the pursuit of a high-quality education for Staten Islanders as young as five years old,” said District Attorney McMahon. “Every single day, thousands of Staten Islanders travel to work in our borough’s public schools to honestly and earnestly do the best possible job they can on behalf of our children, so when the trust we place in them to do that job is broken, there must be serious consequences. We will continue our vigorous pursuit of justice against Mrs. Cenci in the weeks to come, and urge all of our school administrators to examine their procurement policies and safeguards to be sure something like this does not happen in their building.”

The indictment charges Cenci with two counts of Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree, a C Non-Violent Felony which carries a maximum prison sentence of 5 – 15 years incarceration on each count, as well as 2 counts of Tampering with Public Records in the 1st Degree, 2 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the 1st Degree, 11 counts of Grand Larceny in the 4th Degree, and 1 count of Forgery in the 3rd Degree.

Cenci allegedly used a series of techniques to carry out her theft, including 127 checks from the school’s checking account totaling $88,932.62 that were written to herself or to family members whose account Cenci was a signatory on, disguised as legitimate payments to vendors, reimbursements for purchases that were never made, duplicate reimbursements for legitimate payments, or fictitious reimbursement checks to other school staff that she endorsed to herself. Cenci also used the school’s Small Item Payment Processing System (SIPPS) a total of 257 times totaling $56,127.49 in a similar fashion.

Advertisement

Special Commissioner Coleman said: “What this investigation and indictment shows is that Ms. Cenci stole money from the school’s budgeted funds to benefit herself rather than the school children of PS 21 on Staten Island. As charged, Ms. Cenci attempted to avoid detection and cover her tracks by falsifying the school’s business records and also used forged signatures of colleagues to make it appear that legitimate goods and services were being provided when, in fact, they were not. Instead, she was lining her own pockets.

SCI will continue its work to root out corruption and wrongdoing by school district employees, vendors, and anyone else who attempts to misuse funds designed for the school children of New York. The staff at SCI are dedicated public employees who truly understand our mission and strive to ensure that money designated for public schools is not being siphoned off by any individual at the expense of students. Ms. Cenci’s crimes, as charged, erode trust in our school system. However, it should be clear, most public-school employees are hard-working, dedicated teachers and administrators committed to the well-being and education of students.

This is the first week school has resumed since the holiday break and we ask that all school administrators take the time to review their school’s budget, books, and records to ensure that their funds are being allocated appropriately, and that no one else is attempting the same sort of scheme as that with which Ms. Cenci has been charged.”

The case was referred to SCI in March 2023, who, after they conducted their own investigation, referred the case to RCDA for further prosecution in late July 2023, leading to the indictment unsealed today.

District Attorney McMahon and Special Commissioner Coleman issued special thanks to RCDA staff Executive ADA for Investigations Thomas Ridges, Investigations Division Chief Jeff Curiale, Economic Crimes Bureau Chief Gregg Brown, and ADA Mark D’Amato, as well as SCI staff Chief Investigator Michael Bisogna, Deputy Chief Investigator Jeffrey Anderson, and Senior Investigator Phil Sansone for their work over the past eight months that enabled this indictment to be unveiled today.

**An indictment is an accusatory instrument; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty**

Banner Image: DA McMahon and others at the press conference.  All Images Credit – DA McMahon