Nassau County D.A.: Selden woman sentenced to up to four years in prison for embezzlement
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Selden woman was sentenced to up to four years in prison for stealing more than $1 million from two Long Island construction companies, one of which she worked for as a bookkeeper, in a press release on May 28.
Mary Spora, 59, pleaded guilty on August 14, 2024, before Judge Tammy Robbins to two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a C felony) and one count of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree (an E felony).
The defendant was sentenced today to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of 2 to 6 years in prison.
“This defendant selfishly took advantage of her employer, abusing her position and access to siphon more than a million dollars from two businesses over the course of six years,” said DA Donnelly. “Financial crimes hurt businesses and the employees who work for them. We will continue to investigate and follow the money when an allegation of financial fraud is made and hold defendants accountable for using deceit and deception to line their own pockets.”
DA Donnelly said that, between February 2017 and May 2023, the defendant worked as a bookkeeper for construction equipment company Independent Equipment Corp. (Independent) and building material company Coastal Materials (Coastal). The defendant embezzled a total of $1,152,160 from Coastal and another company under the same owner, Big Apple Concrete Supply, Inc. (Big Apple), by writing approximately 113 unauthorized checks from their bank accounts.
Spora was responsible for handling accounts payable for Independent and Coastal, and recording payments in the companies’ books. She was also responsible for preparing payments to vendors and had access to the accounting and payroll software for all three companies, as well as their financial records.
According to certified bank records, more than 75 checks from Coastal, totaling more than $608,000, were deposited into a bank account held by the defendant and her husband between March 2, 2017, and February 1, 2023.
Bank records also indicate that more than 30 checks, totaling more than $540,000, were deposited into the same bank account from Big Apple between February 15, 2017, and May 25, 2023.
An audit of Coastal and Big Apple’s payroll software records also reflected that the defendant made an entry into the software designating a company owned by her husband as payee for the checks and altered the payee information of those checks to make it appear as though a company that does do business with Coastal and Big Apple was the appropriate payee.
A review of the defendant’s bank accounts indicated that between 2017 and 2021, she spent the stolen money on personal expenses, credit card and retail store payments, and travel.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Investigative Counsel Heidi Bausk under the supervision of Major Financial Frauds Bureau Chief Maureen McCormack and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Investigations Division Rick Whelan. The defendant is represented by Robert Schalk, Esq.
