For eight years, the woman worked in accounts payable for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, gaining the trust of her superiors.
Colleagues praised her quiet dedication and hard work, and noted that she prayed often; her volunteer work at an event at St. Patrick’s Cathedral won mention in the church’s newspaper, Catholic New York. No one, then, questioned the hundreds of checks she wrote at the archdiocese to cover small expenses, like office supplies and utility bills.
On Monday, the woman, Anita Collins, 67, was charged with embezzling more than $1 million over seven years from the archdiocese.[...]
This woman had two prior convictions for embezzlement. She was still on probation when the Archdiocese hired her, a few weeks before they began systematically screening all new hires.
ReplyDeleteA yeshiva once told me a similar event happened to them. A bookkeeper stole a couple hundred thousand. Then they found out she had a prior conviction. And they still don't background checks!