Ex-Long Island Credit Union COO Gets Prison For Slush Fund Scheme

CARLE PLACE, NY — The former chief operating officer of a Long Island credit union who admitted she stole nearly $500,000 from the credit union has been sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison.

Suzanne Silva, 35, of Carle Place, pleaded guilty in March to stealing $465,172 while working for the Winthrop University Hospital Employees Federal Credit Union. Prosecutors said she used the money as a slush fund to pay for her own lavish lifestyle.

Silva was sentenced Friday in a Central Islip federal court for embezzling credit union funds. She was also ordered to pay back $465,172.

Prosecutors said she stole credit union money between March 2011 and June 2018 by transferring money from its operating accounts to accounts in her name and the names of her family members. She used money to take Caribbean cruises, travel to Cancun and buy thousands of dollars in goods every month from Amazon and Etsy.

She was terminated in June 2018.

"For years, Silva plundered the credit union, abusing her position as its Chief Operating Officer to commit serious crimes — all to serve herself," Richard Donoghue, the federal prosecutor, said in a news release. "For the next 18 months, she will pay the price for her greed."