On Oct. 23, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced the arrest of a Floral Park woman for stealing nearly $700,000 from a longtime employer, as well as more than $10,000 from a new employer, by writing herself checks drawn from company bank accounts.
Deborah Tangredi was arrested and arraigned on Oct. 23 before Nassau District Court Judge Joy Watson on the following charges:
• Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree (a C felony)
• Two counts of Grand Larceny in the 3rd Degree (a D felony)
• Three counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2nd Degree (a D felony)
• Three counts of Falsifying Business Records in the 1st Degree (an E felony).
Judge Watson set bail at $25,000 cash or bond. Tangredi faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top charge. She is due back in court on Nov. 5.
“Small business owners are the engine of Nassau’s economy, and should be commended for being job creators—not betrayed by their own employees,” Rice said. “Given the challenges of a tough economy, employers shouldn’t also have to worry that their next hire will steal company money.”
Rice said that Tangredi was employed by a Great Neck mortgage lender and realtor as an administrative assistant and bookkeeper for 17 years. Upon closing both businesses in November 2013, Tangredi’s employer began an audit going back to 2012. The employer obtained bank records and discovered that checks had been made from company bank accounts to pay Tangredi’s personal car loan, American Express, and Citi Card accounts.
According to Rice, to conceal the theft, Tangredi altered the check register to reflect the name of the payee as someone her employer’s companies would do business with.
After a subsequent investigation by Rice’s office going back to 2009, it was discovered that Tangredi altered more than100 checks totaling $694,244.41. Investigators also revealed that Tangredi altered checks written from her employer’s business accounts to pay off her home equity line of credit.
As a result of Rice’s investigation, it was discovered that Tangredi had deposited checks from her new employer, a law firm in Mineola. Tangredi stole a total of $10,387.33 from her new employer by forging signatures on checks, changing the name of the payee in the company’s ledger, and altering her employer’s bank statements.
Assistant District Attorney Victoria Curran of Rice’s Government and Consumer Frauds Bureau is prosecuting the case. Tangredi is represented by Robert Schalk, Esq. The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
— Submitted by the District Attorney’s office
