LI Woman Gets Up To 4 Yrs. In Prison For Embezzling Over $1M: DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Suffolk County woman has been sentenced to up to four years in prison for stealing more than $1 million from two Long Island construction companies, prosecutors said.

Mary Spora, 59, pleaded guilty on August 14 to two counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count of first-degree falsifying business records, prosecutors said.

She was sentenced on Wednesday to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison.

Between February 2017 and May 2023, Spora worked as a bookkeeper for construction equipment company Independent Equipment Corp. (Independent) in Westbury and building material company Coastal Materials (Coastal) in Farmingdale.

She embezzled a total of $1,152,160 from Coastal and another company under the same owner, Big Apple Concrete Supply, Inc. (Big Apple) in Mineola, by writing approximately 113 unauthorized checks from their bank accounts, Nassau County D.A. Anne Donnelly said.

Spora was responsible for handling accounts payable for Independent and Coastal, and recording payments in the companies’ books, prosecutors said.

According to certified bank records, more than 75 checks from Coastal, totaling more than $608,000, were deposited into a bank account held by the Spora and her husband between March 2, 2017, and February 1, 2023, Donnelly said.

Bank records also indicate that more than 30 checks, totaling more than $540,000, were deposited into the same bank account from Big Apple between February 15, 2017, and May 25, 2023, prosecutors said.

A review of Spora's bank accounts indicated that between 2017 and 2021, she spent the stolen money on personal expenses, credit card and retail store payments, and travel, Donnelly said.

“This defendant selfishly took advantage of her employer, abusing her position and access to siphon more than a million dollars from two businesses over the course of six years,” Donnelly said. “Financial crimes hurt businesses and the employees who work for them. We will continue to investigate and follow the money when an allegation of financial fraud is made and hold defendants accountable for using deceit and deception to line their own pockets.”

Patch attempted to get a comment from Robert Schalk, the attorney representing Spora.