Former Long Island Woman Bilked $80K From Church: DA

LONG ISLAND, NY — A Florida woman was indicted Friday for second-degree grand larceny for embezzling funds from a Selden church, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

“Financial crimes against community institutions not only damage their operations but undermine the trust that binds our community together,” he said. “We intend to pursue this case vigorously to send a clear message that those who exploit positions of trust for personal gain will face the appropriate consequences under the law.”

Between June 2022 to May 2023, Stacey Hirsch, 48, of Saint Lucie, FL, who formerly lived in Centereach and was a former bookkeeper at the Selden church, stole about $80,000 from the church’s bank account, prosecutors said.

She did this by writing checks to herself and her husband without authority or for any legitimate church-related reason or expense and used the money to pay her credit card bills, which included charges for food, numerous restaurants, shopping, and other everyday expenses, according to prosecutors.

She also used the money to pay for utilities and other household expenses, and the heft was discovered after the church board learned that the church’s bills were not being paid, prosecutors said.

The treasurer reviewed the finances for the previous years and discovered that, as a result of her alleged theft, there were insufficient funds to pay the church’s legitimate expenses, and Hirsch was fired after the discovery and moved to Florida shortly afterwards, according to prosecutors.

On April 10, 2025, Hirsch was arrested in Florida and was thereafter extradited to Suffolk County.

Hirsch has been released from jail without bail because her charge is considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set bail, prosecutors said.

Hirsch is due back in court on June 5, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count.

She is being represented by the Legal Aid Society, which does not comment on cases.