Principal Accused of Stealing from St. Patrick's Parochial School

The former principal of St. Patrick’s Parochial School in Bedford is accused of stealing about $30,000 while she was at the helm.

Jennifer Ciavirella Schmidberger faces a felony charge of grand larceny, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said today in a prepared statement.

An audit of the school’s finances conducted by the Archdiocese of New York in 2014 revealed irregularities, the DA said. The Archdiocese then contacted the District Attorney’s office.

Now investigators allege that Schmidberger made personal purchases using a school credit card and made cash withdrawals from the school account over a period of four years without permission or authority to do so.

She had been the principal of the school since 2010.

The Yorktown resident was arrested Wednesday by investigators from the District Attorney’s office. She was arraigned in Bedford Town Court. Bail was set at $1,500 cash or $5,000 bond. Her next court date is Oct. 7.

The Archdiocese of New York is fully cooperating with this investigation, the DA said.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Gamble of the Economic Crimes Bureau, is prosecuting the case. Schmidberger faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.

PHOTO: Jennifer Schmidberger/Westchester County District Attorney’s Office