LI Office Manager Stole $230K From Employer, Gets Prison: DA

BRIGHTWATERS, NY — A Brightwaters woman was sentenced Tuesday to three to six years in prison after admitting she stole more than $230,000 from her employer and collected more than $40,000 in unemployment benefits while working full time, prosecutors said.

Christa Ramos, 57, pleaded guilty in April to grand larceny and related charges in connection with the thefts, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Ramos worked as an office manager at a Deer Park business, where she was responsible for paying company bills, prosecutors said. Between December 2018 and June 2023, Ramos wrote checks to herself totaling about $230,398 without permission or authorization, according to court documents and her admissions during her guilty plea.

Prosecutors said Ramos deposited the checks into her personal bank account and used the money for personal expenses.

Ramos also repeatedly told the New York State Department of Labor that she was unemployed while she was actually working full time for the company, prosecutors said.

Because Ramos was responsible for handling the company’s mail, she was able to hide from her employer that she was collecting unemployment insurance benefits, prosecutors said. In total, Ramos stole more than $40,000 in taxpayer funds, according to the DA’s office.

Ramos pleaded guilty on April 1 before Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro to one count of second-degree grand larceny, a felony; three counts of third-degree grand larceny, felonies; and three counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, felonies, prosecutors said.

Ambro sentenced Ramos on Tuesday to three to six years in prison and ordered her to pay more than $230,000 in restitution, prosecutors said.

Ramos was represented by Tara Laterza, who was not immediately available to comment.

“Stealing from a small business is an attack on our local economy and the communities these businesses support,” Tierney said. “My office will continue to ensure that those who exploit small businesses for personal gain are held responsible.”