ABC News: U.S.: Woman, 67, Accused of Stealing $1 Million From Archdiocese

ABC News: U.S. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Woman, 67, Accused of Stealing $1 Million From Archdiocese Jan 30th 2012, 20:01 Jan 30, 2012 3:01pm   Email Smaller Font Text Larger Text | Print A woman who worked for the Catholic archiocese of New York is accused of breaking the eighth commandment on a grand scale, stealing approximately $1 million from the church. While Anita Collins may have broken the eighth commandment, the archdiocese may have broken a fiscal  commandment: do background checks on your employees. Collins has a criminal record for grand larceny. The church, which is headquartered in the famed St. Patrick's Cathedral, uncovered the theft, according to a statement released by archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling. "The Archdiocese of New York reported to the Manhattan district attorney in December 2011 that we uncovered what we initially believed to be the theft of at least $350,000 by Anita Collins, an employee of the Archdiocese," the statement reads. "The theft was uncovered by the archdiocese and our outside auditors following the implementation of enhanced financial oversight controls and safeguards in 2011." After further investigation and the involvement of the Manhattan district attorney, it was determined the amount stolen was approximately $1 million. "The theft that was uncovered was committed by the employee using a sophisticated fraud to manipulate the accounts payable system in the Department of Education Finance Office," the statement said. Collins, 67, allegedly wrote hundreds of checks to herself or a relative, but recorded them as payments to legitimate vendors. Church officials conceded that they had not conducted a background check on Collins before hiring her. Collins, who is from the Bronx, was convicted of grand larceny in 1999 and sentenced to community service and five years' probation. Zwilling said pre-employment background checks for all employees began shortly after Collins was hired in 2003. She was fired in December. The archdiocese said it will tighten its fiscal controls. "Because the archdiocese seeks to always been good stewards of the money entrusted to us, we are continually working to improve our financial controls in order to prevent such occurrences from happening," the statement said. "Sadly, there will always be individuals who seek to exploit and circumvent whatever system is established, but we will remain vigilant in our oversight."   Email Smaller Font Text Larger Text | Print

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