WYANDANCH, NY (AP) -- A shuttered homeless shelter's former director has admitted using more than $23,000 in public money for private real-estate deals and personal luxuries, including jewelry and a trip to Disney World.
Carol Usher pleaded guilty March 18th to misdemeanor petty larceny. The nonprofit organization that ran the Wyandanch shelter is NSM Three Sisters Incorporated. It pleaded guilty to a felony grand larceny charge.
Usher's lawyer, Dan Driscoll, said the problems reflected poor accounting, rather than deliberate misconduct, but his client entered the plea because she wanted to put the case to rest.
Prosecutors disputed that, saying the allegations might represent only a portion of the misspent money.
In an earlier audit, County Comptroller Joseph Sawicki found that the shelter organization had misued more than $263,000 in county money in 2001.
Usher and the NSM Three Sisters will get a conditional discharge. The charges will be dismissed if they stay out of trouble for a year, and if the $23,000 is repaid before her sentencing, set for May 13th. If not, she is to be sentenced to three years of probation.
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