Former Official Who Stole From Rockland Charities Learns Her Fate

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — A former elected official who abused the public trust has learned her fate.

The former Deputy Mayor and Village Trustee of Haverstraw, Emily Dominguez, was sentenced for stealing more than $11,000 in funds and donations from the Rockland Community Foundation (RCF), Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced on Monday.

Dominguez served as a board member and former president of the not-for-profit organization.

"As an elected official, one has a duty to uphold the law and serve the community with integrity," Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh II said. "Today's sentencing finalizes the criminal investigation, holds the elected official accountable for their actions and provides restitution to the Rockland Community Foundations. I commend the excellent investigative work conducted by the Rockland County District Attorney’s Special Investigations Unit and the New York State Comptroller's Office on this multi-agency case."

The Rockland Community Foundation oversees and administers hundreds of charitable funds, including the Haverstraw Neighborhood Fund (HNF), founded by Emily Dominguez and her mother Luz Marina Gutierrez. The fund was supposedly established to provide resources and support to the residents of Haverstraw through fundraising efforts, including an annual backpack fundraiser and holiday dinners.

SEE ALSO: Former Village Official Stole From Rockland Nonprofits: DA

Between March and October of 2020, the pair submitted 18 false receipts to the Rockland Community Foundation for reimbursement of expenses allegedly incurred by Dominguez and Gutierrez. The receipts from Portobello’s restaurant and catering, where Emily Dominguez's sister, Janice Dominguez, was formerly employed, were entirely false, claiming to represent food provided to residents of Haverstraw, when in fact, no such food was ever supplied.

"The former deputy mayor abused the trust of Haverstraw's citizens to steal from programs geared to help village residents in need, including those that provided backpacks of school supplies and holiday dinners," New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said. "Thanks to my partnership with Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh, she is being held accountable for her crimes."

On September 20, 2022, Dominguez pled guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree and admitted her involvement in a scheme where she submitted false receipts and stole money from the Rockland Community Foundation.

Dominguez was sentenced by Judge Prisco to five years probation along with $8,966.25 in restitution to the Rockland Community Foundation.

"The Rockland Community Foundation remains focused on serving the community through the funds that we steward," Julie Sadowski, Executive Director of the Rockland Community Foundation, said. "We are gratified to have received the $11k restitution for the Haverstraw Neighborhood Fund and committed to working with the greater Haverstraw community to revamp this project fund in accordance with its original intent."