Credit: Police Handout
Reporting Mona Rivera
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The office manager of a well-known Long Island charity is charged with stealing more than $130,000 by using the organization’s credit cards for personal spending sprees, police said.
The charity’s executive director talks about the arrest with 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera
Merline Campbell, 45, was arrested Tuesday and faces charges of grand larceny and identity theft. It’s charged that when the bills came in, Campbell used the charity’s funds to cover them, reports CBS 2′s John Slattery.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, the dollar amount might be as high as $200,000,” Nassau County Police Sgt. Dennis Ude said.
Sarah Landsdale, the executive director of Sustainable Long Island, hopes the arrest doesn’t hurt the charity.
WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall with details from the case
“This is an isolated incident, we feel betrayed, we continue to advance our mission of downtown revitalization, economic development and social equity on Long Island,” Landsdale said.
She said the organization became suspicious after coming across “unauthorized expenditures” during the audit process.
“Electronic gadgets, such as an iPad, an iPhone, a number of other types of electronic devices…household items, she bought a number of airline tickets,” Sgt. Ude said.
“We’re working cooperatively with local authorities and our council to investigate this matter further and to recover the missing funds,” Landsdale said.
After the arrest, Campbell was fired after serving as office manager since 2005. Police said Campbell had been using company funds for personal use since August 2010.
