PTO President from Union County Charged with Stealing Funds

The former president of a parent-teacher organization in Union County has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the organization, authorities said.

Former president of the PTO for Grace Wilday Junior High School, Denise Daniels, 45, of Roselle, was charged via summons on Tuesday with a single count of third-degree theft, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

An investigation by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Prosecutions Union and the Roselle Police Department identified Daniels as a suspect, authorities said. The investigation revealed Daniels engaged in the theft over the course of several years, depositing fundraiser proceeds and cash, checks and money order payments given to the PTO by parents and students into a bank account other organization members thought was closed, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

Daniels would allegedly write herself checks by forgoing the signature of a former PTO treasurer and collecting more than $11,500, which she used for personal use from 2010 through 2014, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Rob Vanderstreet.

If convicted of the third-degree offense against her, Daniels could be sentenced to three to five years in state prison.