New Milford Woman Defrauded 3 Schools Out Of $200K: Prosecutor

NEW MILFORD, NJ — A borough woman who allegedly stole $200,000 from three Bergen County private schools for years was arrested and charged Monday, authorities announced.

Mary M. Ayoub, 52, ran the large-scale scheme from December 2015 and January 2018, said acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo. She was the business manager for the schools, which gave her access to their accounting records.

An investigation by the Bergen County Financial Crimes Unit revealed that Ayoub entered false records into the schools' financial ledgers, Calo said. She then used the false entries and the schools' funds to cover $185,000 worth of fraudulent transactions, he said.

Ayoub used the money to pay for more than 1,500 purchases she made with credit cards she opened in other people's names, Calo said. He did not specify what three schools Ayoub worked for.

The investigation also uncovered other schemes Ayoub ran to defraud the schools, the acting prosecutor said, which included stealing cash payments, issuing unauthorized checks to herself, and using school credit cards.

Ayoub allegedly stole more than $200,000, Calo said. She was charged with theft, with the amount involved being greater than $75,000 and computer-related theft, with the amount involved being greater than $5,000, both of the second-degree.

Ayoub is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court June 6.

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Photo: Mary M. Ayoub, 52 (Bergen County Prosecutor's Office)