LI Bookkeeper Embezzled $1M To Pay Off Credit Cards For Herself And A Friend: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A longtime employee of a Bay Shore-based company is accused of embezzling more than $1 million over the course of five years.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the indictment of Domenica Giordano, 39, of Islip Terrace on Thursday. She faces a felony charge of first degree grand larceny.

"Small businesses are an integral part of our local economy," said District Attorney Tierney. "My office takes all allegations of theft from hard-working business owners very seriously. If you steal in Suffolk County, we will hold you accountable."

According to the investigation, Giordano was employed as a bookkeeper at All Systems Maintenance, a commercial plumbing business in Bay Shore, for roughly 17 years.

In May 2020, the owner of the business asked Giordano to help her access the corporate bank accounts, prosecutors said.

After the request was ignored for several days, the owner went directly to the local branch of her bank to personally review the accounts. Prosecutors alleged the owner discovered unauthorized withdrawals totaling over $1 million that dated back to September 2015.

According to a subsequent investigation, Giordano wrote checks to herself between 2015 and 2020 without the company owner's knowledge or permission, prosecutors said.

Giordano is accused of signing the checks using a rubber stamp of the owner’s signature and depositing the corporate funds into both her personal account and a friend’s business accounts, prosecutors said.

By June 2020, Giordano had taken more than $1 million, prosecutors alleged, accusing her of making payments from the company accounts to pay off her own and her friend’s credit card balances.

Giordano was arraigned Thursday on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice,
the Honorable John B. Collins. Justice Collins ordered her to be monitored via supervised release.

Patch reached out to her attorney, Richard Kaufman, Esq., for comment.

This case is being prosecuted by Jessica Lightstone and Adriana Noyola of the Financial Crimes Bureau with investigative assistance from Detective Daniel Pagano of the Financial Crimes Unit of the Suffolk County Police Department.