Michele Cenci pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $145,000 from PS 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park over seven years. She used cunning methods like disguising expenditures as legitimate vendor payments and collecting duplicate payments. The embezzlement affected 398 students, including those with disabilities. Cenci received a plea deal sparing her from prison, but she will face full restitution and a permanent criminal record. State officials criticized the leniency of the sentence.
Cenci disguised expenditures as payments to vendors for purchases never made, and collected duplicate payments for legitimate purchases, court documents allege.
Stealing nearly $150,000 in school funds from one of Staten Island's beloved elementary schools, Michele Cenci brazenly pilfered precious resources away from students and staff.
Cenci used the stolen funds to ‘supplement’ her DOE salary, which totaled $84,950 in 2024, at the expense of PS 21's 398 students.
Cenci attempted to avoid detection and cover her tracks by falsifying the school's business records and using forged signatures.
Collection
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