MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced the arrest of a bookkeeper from Glen Head for allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 from her employer, a Glen Cove-based property management company, and two other clients.
Laura Fontana, 62, of Glen Head was arraigned Friday before Judge Gary Carlton and charged with:
- Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a C felony)
- Two counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a D felony)
- Five counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (a D felony)
- 10 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree (an E Felony)
The defendant was released on her own recognizance and is due back in court on April 18. If convicted of the top count, she faces a maximum of five to 15 years in prison.
“The defendant is accused of systematically stealing more than $200,000 in small sums over a period of six years from her employer and clients,” DA Singas said. “Small businesses are the backbone of our county and my office will vigorously prosecute because businesses shouldn’t have to worry about employees stealing from the till.”
DA Singas said that from between 2012 to 2018, Fontana, a bookkeeper for the Glen Cove-based company, allegedly wrote checks to herself from nine properties the company managed. Fontana allegedly endorsed most of the checks and deposited them into her Bank of America account. To conceal the thefts, she allegedly recorded them in the company’s QuickBooks account as having been made out to a legitimate vendor.
The individual check amounts ranged from $200 to $1,996. Fontana allegedly embezzled more than $190,000 from the company and an additional sum from two other clients. In total, Fontana allegedly stole more than $209,000 from her clients and employer. She is alleged to have spent the money on bills, living and childcare expenses.
The investigation began in July 2018 when a complaint was filed with the NCDA’s Criminal Complaint Unit.
Senior District Attorney Betty Rodriguez of DA Singas’ Financial Crimes Bureau is prosecuting this case. John Maccarone, Esq. represents the defendant.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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