Westchester County Court Judge Erin McGoey ordered Michelle Pennant to pay $138,395.54 in restitution when she sentenced the 48-year-old Paterson, New Jersey, woman to one and a half to three years in state prison on Wednesday, according to Daily Voice. About $132,800 is designated for her former employers and $5,597 for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, the outlet reported.
Two employers were affected
Daily Voice reported that Pennant took $70,250.46 from a Westchester-based construction company during her employment from March 2023 to April 2024. The outlet said she also took $62,548.08 from a home decorating business, where she worked from April 2022 to April 2024. Neither business has been publicly identified. The same report said she did not pay the required state taxes on the money.
Pennant pleaded guilty in June to two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and one count of fourth-degree criminal tax fraud, all felonies, according to Daily Voice. Under New York law, fourth-degree criminal tax fraud is a class E felony.
Investigation and reporting
The case involved the Harrison Police Department, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and investigators and a forensic accountant from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Daily Voice reported. The outlet identified Economic Crimes Bureau Chief Gwen Galef as the prosecutor.
The reports differ on Pennant’s hometown spelling: Patch gave it as Patterson, New Jersey, while Daily Voice identified her as being from Paterson, New Jersey. The available reporting cited here does not resolve the discrepancy.
