A former Brooklyn Heights co-op board president is accused of turning her building’s bank account into a personal shopping fund, to the tune of more than $700,000. Prosecutors say 60-year-old Isabelle Gallier, now living in Keansburg, New Jersey, siphoned operating money from the 40-unit co-op at 130 Hicks Street from 2018 through 2024, allegedly leaving the building short by roughly $708,216.
Allegations And Arraignment
According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office says Gallier used her position as board president to quietly divert funds out of the co-op’s operating account over several years. The indictment pegs the total at $708,216, including about $218,351 in mortgage payments that prosecutors say should have gone to the building.
Investigators also point to what they describe as a luxury spending spree: roughly $125,754 on high-end items, including $12,489 on furs, a $4,028 Rolex and about $53,022 on around 150 pairs of designer shoes. Prosecutors say the haul included 28 pairs of Christian Louboutins and 16 pairs of Valentinos. Gallier was arraigned in downtown Brooklyn, released without bail and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 12.
Property Records Tie Her To The Building
Public listings show Gallier was no stranger to 130 Hicks Street. She purchased multiple units in the building and later sold apartments there in recent years. Sales records on RealtyHop, for example, list a 2022 transaction under the name Isabelle Gallier. Those transfer dates line up with reporting that she sold off units and moved out after being voted off the co-op board.
Board Review Revealed The Shortfall
After shareholders voted Gallier off the board, the building’s books landed in the hands of a new board, which started combing through the co-op’s finances. That review turned up the alleged shortfall and triggered the DA’s investigation, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.
The indictment focuses on what prosecutors say were diversions from the building’s operating account, not routine maintenance charges or individual owner payments. While the criminal case moves forward, the current board is still sorting through records and residents are left to figure out what the alleged hole in the budget will mean for them.
What The Charge Means
Gallier is charged with one count of grand larceny in the second degree, a New York offense that applies when the alleged theft tops $50,000 and is classified as a class C felony under state law, as outlined by the New York State Senate. Legal summaries note that a conviction on a class C felony can bring a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, depending on the facts of the case and how the judge sentences, per FindLaw.
Gallier, like any defendant, is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the charge at trial or in a plea deal. The indictment lays out an accusation, and the outcome will hinge on what evidence the DA can actually establish in court.
Brooklyn’s Growing List Of Big-Ticket Cases
This is not the only eye-popping theft case to surface in Brooklyn recently. In a separate federal case filed in March, prosecutors alleged that a Park Slope preschool director stole more than $2.75 million in tuition payments, according to Bloomberg. Cases like these highlight how law enforcement is zeroing in on people in custodial roles who control bank accounts and payments.
Gallier’s case is set to proceed in Kings County, with her next court date on Aug. 12. For now, the accusations remain just that, and it will be up to a judge or jury, or a negotiated plea, to determine whether she in fact looted the co-op’s funds.
