1 million dollar fraud from education funds in New York: Indictment against three suspects

Three individuals were indicted in two separate cases for allegedly stealing approximately one million dollars from public education funds in New York state. In a statement made on Tuesday by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Office of the State Comptroller, it was noted that both files were referred to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office by the state comptroller. The suspects were alleged to have transferred funds allocated to support students into their personal accounts. Officials emphasized that the incidents created a serious deficit in the state's education budget and violated taxpayers' rights. District Attorney Bragg stated that those who defraud the state are essentially considered to have stolen from all 20 million residents of New York.

In the first case, 60-year-old Cadelie Neat, who worked as the payments manager at CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice located on the Upper West Side, was accused of stealing approximately 710 thousand dollars. It was alleged that Neat obtained this money by requesting fake student scholarship checks on behalf of the participants of the school's Academic Preparation Program for Law Enforcement. According to the prosecution, the defendant created over 260 fake payment requests between December 2018 and April 2026, using the names of current and former students. It was claimed that these checks were mailed to the suspect's home address and deposited directly into her personal bank accounts from ATMs in Manhattan. Officials stated that Neat used this money for personal expenses such as travel, dining, and home repairs.

On the other hand, in a separate indictment filed against 73-year-old Cheryl Carr from Queens and 47-year-old Andrea Williams from the Bronx, the duo was alleged to have stolen 288 thousand 529 dollars allocated for the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy Charter School. According to court documents, the defendants carried out their plan by establishing a fake organization with a very similar name in the state of Idaho in September 2023. Allegedly, while Carr opened bank accounts for this organization, Williams, a former payroll accountant at the Manhattan-based school, sent the relevant IRS documents from her work email to her personal account. Officials announced that the couple diverted checks worth approximately 289 thousand dollars, which were intended to be sent to two different charter schools, into this Idaho account.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg emphasized in his statement that defrauding the state is a theft directed at all New Yorkers. Bragg noted that joint investigations conducted with the New York State Office of the Comptroller uncovered an embezzlement of approximately one million dollars from the public treasury. He stated that the charges in the two cases targeted funds allocated to support a wide range of students, from elementary school students to university students. Bragg also drew attention to the negative impacts of such financial crimes in the education sector on future generations. It was reported that the District Attorney's Office will continue working with specialized teams to protect education funds and prevent similar frauds.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli stated that he would take all necessary measures to protect taxpayers' money and strive to bring those accused of public fraud to justice. DiNapoli indicated that the suspects set up highly complex schemes to funnel taxpayers' money into their own pockets. The Comptroller emphasized that he would continue to protect public funds and hold criminals accountable by cooperating with law enforcement at all levels across the state. Such cases once again highlight how crucial the auditing of public funds is. amNewYork reached out to CUNY management regarding Cadelie Neat's current employment status at John Jay College to obtain information; however, no response has been received from the school yet, and it is unknown whether the suspect is currently working there.