Posted on: October 30, 2024 08:21 AM

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Former PTA President arrested for allegedly stealing thousands from Astoria Elementary School Association

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Athena Gonzalez, the former parent teacher association president at P.S. 166 in Astoria, has been charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property for allegedly stealing more than $41,000 from the school’s PTA.

District Attorney Katz said: District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant, as PTA president at P.S. 166, was supposed to be a guardian of the association’s funds but, as alleged, instead put the money into her own account and paid for personal trips to Six Flags Great Adventure and Kalahari Resorts, among other expenses. For more than nine months, she used the organization as her own personal checking account and ultimately stole more than $41,000. This money was raised by P.S. 166 families to help the school and its students. My office will work to restore those funds and hold this defendant accountable for her breach of trust.”

Athena Gonzalez, 33, of Greenvale, was arraigned last night before Judge Julieta Lozano on charges of grand larceny in the third degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. The defendant was ordered to return to court December 3. If convicted, she faces a potential maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to seven years in prison.

DA Katz said that, according to the charges, the defendant was elected to be the president of the parent teacher association of P.S. 166 in Astoria in July 2023. On or about December 11, 2023, a check for $1,564.87 drawn upon the PTA’s bank account at Connect One Bank was deposited into the defendant’s bank account.

Between April 2 and July 26, 2024, approximately six more checks – in amounts between $3,500 and $10,000 – were deposited into the defendant’s Discover bank account. The total amount of the seven checks deposited into Gonzalez’s account was $41,315.87.

After the checks were deposited, the defendant made purchases at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, Kalahari Resorts water park in Pennsylvania, smoke shops, nail salons, Starbucks, Sephora, Total Wines, Petco and other businesses. Gonzalez additionally used funds on gambling apps, for Airbnb reservations and to pay for identity theft protection.

On June 18, 2024, the defendant allegedly used a PTA-associated debit card to charge $1,236.00 for medical treatment for her pet at a Nassau County veterinary clinic.

The defendant is also alleged to have stolen $1,120 in cash from the PTA that was intended to be deposited into a PTA bank account.

From Queens DA