SUNY Professor Stole $32K With Forged Grant Application: IG

HURLEY, NY — An Ulster County woman and former SUNY Sullivan professor was accused of forging a grant and stealing more than $30,000.

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced Wednesday that Cynthia Marcello, 55, of Hurley, was charged with second-degree forgery, a felony.

Lang said she was grateful to SUNY for promptly bringing the incident to her attention.

"Dr. Marcello's alleged forging of a federal grant application for personal profit is an affront to the intention of such programs — providing professional growth and learning opportunities for teachers at high-need school districts," she said. "Especially during these difficult times the resources allocated to New York's teachers should never be compromised."

According to prosecutors, Marcello was a computer science professor at SUNY Sullivan for 12 years, teaching courses on game development, cybersecurity and other computer-related topics. She resigned from SUNY in March 2020.

An investigation by the inspector general's office found that she falsely completed and signed a grant application on behalf of the college, without permission or authorization, with $32,400 coming directly to her instead of the college, authorities said.

The Liberty Central School District, in conjunction with Sullivan BOCES, applied for a federal grant that would have allowed SUNY Sullivan to partner with the school district and BOCES to provide teachers with professional learning opportunities.

Prosecutors said the grant was supposed to go through SUNY Sullivan and then be paid to Marcello, who would then have received between $1,000 and $3,000 for her work.

Investigators said that Marcello, who had filled out the grant application, listed herself as the vendor and was paid $32,400 directly.

She sent invoices to Sullivan BOCES from her personal address so she could receive the payment, prosecutors said.

According to Lang's office, one witness said Marcello "cut [SUNY Sullivan] out" and "deliberately deceived" the college.

Investigators said they discovered Marcello was listed on multiple grants in the past, all of which were appropriately run through the college and resulted in pay significantly less than what she earned through the forged application.

When SUNY Sullivan found out about the direct payments to Marcello, the college contacted the New York State Police, which then referred the matter to the inspector general.

SUNY Sullivan is a two-year community college located in Loch Sheldrake.