Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey, Director Robert Hubner of the Woodbridge Police Department and Chief Craig Young of the Middlesex Borough Police Department announced today that three women have been placed on probationary terms after admitting they stole various amounts of funds totaling more than $21,000 that was raised for school children.
Prosecutor Carey said police and school officials remain vigilant in uncovering the theft of funds that are set aside for student activities and events.
“Charitable donations are, of course, to be highly encouraged. Citizens who donate should always demand an accounting of where the funds are spent in an effort to combat fraud and abuse. Where such fiscal corruption is suspected, the police should be contacted as soon as possible and provided with available documentation. Law enforcement is always most effective when there is active cooperation with the public,” Prosecutor Carey said.
Mary Sue Fisco, a 61-year-old teacher at Colonia High School and a resident of Edison, was placed on probation for two years after she pleaded guilty on December 1, 2015 to theft for taking $1,771 in various amounts from Project Graduation, a fund-raising program that finances an after graduation party for seniors at Colonia High School in Woodbridge.
Fisco has repaid the $1,771, but no longer works as a teacher and is barred from holding any public job in New Jersey.
She was sentenced today in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Diane Pincus after an investigation determined Fisco, who oversaw Project Graduation, took the money to purchase personal items, including a shed for her son’s home and a flat screen television.
Michelle Ledesma, 35, of Middlesex Borough, was placed on probation for five years and was ordered to repay $18,582.
She was sentenced in New Brunswick on December 22, 2015 after she admitted taking the funds in various amounts from the Parent Teachers Organization at the Von E. Mauger Middlesex School in Middlesex Borough while she served as treasurer and president of the organization. She was a volunteer for the PTO, but was not a public employee.
An investigation showed she took the funds to make personal purchases at liquor stores, Amazon, a hardware store and restaurants. The purchases were not school related.
Linda Koche, 47, of Middlesex Borough was placed on probation for four years and was ordered to repay $1,340 on February 19, 2016, after she admitted theft for taking the funds in various amounts from the Mauger PTO while she served as vice-president.
Koche, who also lost her public job as a cafeteria worker at the school, was banned from future public employment in New Jersey.
Ledesma and Koche were sentenced in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge James Mulvihill.
The three defendants pleaded guilty after reaching agreements with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christine D’Elia.