Former St. James Adult Home Manager Sentenced For Stealing Residents' Money: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A former facility manager at Eden II in St. James was sentenced to one to three years in prison after she admitted to stealing funds from the ATM cards of six residents with autism spectrum who entrusted her with their cards for petty cash purposes, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Tuesday.

Desiree Etheridge, 50, pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny.

"This defendant exploited her position in order to steal money from residents' bank accounts, leaving them financially devastated," Tierney said in a news release. "Prison is appropriate for any such calculated abuse of power against some of our most vulnerable members of the community."

From November 2018 to June 2021, Etheridge stole funds from the ATM cards of six residents while she was working as residential manager of Eden II, a residential facility, according to court documents. As facility manager, Etheridge had control and access to the six residents’ bank accounts and debit cards, prosecutors said.

One of her responsibilities was to withdraw money to place in each residents’ petty cash envelope so they could go on outings to eateries and local stores, investigators said. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Etheridge depleted the residents’ bank accounts, authorities said.

Etheridge stole approximately $30K between 2018 and 2022, the DA said, Patch previously reported.

On Aug. 12, 2022, Etheridge was arrested after she turned herself in, officials said. Etheridge pleaded guilty on July 29.