Prosecutors: Clerk In LI Village Stole $193,000

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (AP) -- An account clerk for the village of Patchogue faces charges that she embezzled $193,000 from the municipality.

Susan Roach, of Farmingville, pleaded not guilty Friday to forgery and larceny charges.

Suffolk County prosecutors say the 41-year-old bureaucrat concocted a phony invoice scheme to steal money from the village's fuel account.

Authorities say the fraud took place over three years, and involved 39 checks with forged signatures.

Patchogue's mayor tells Newsday that he feels "betrayed and angry'' by the thefts.

Roach's lawyer, Raymond Perini, tells the newspaper that his client was embarrassed by the charges.

He wouldn't comment on what happened to the money, but said if Roach was indeed responsible, it would all be paid back.