Ex-Employee Accused Of Stealing $200K From White Plains Construction Firm: DA

WHITE PLAINS, NY — A Bronx woman is accused of stealing more than $200,000 from a White Plains-based construction company where she had worked as its finance manager.

Michele Rinaldo, 52, faces multiple counts, including grand larceny, identity theft, falsifying business records, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Rinaldo was arraigned Aug. 13 in Westchester County Court and entered a “not guilty” plea to all of the charges, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office. A conference in the case is scheduled for Sept. 24.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace said, “The defendant’s alleged thefts were as brazen as they were careless. Not only do these kinds of frauds hurt honest small businesses, they drive up the cost of doing business for everyone in Westchester County. ”

Prosecutors said Rinaldo managed the books and payroll for the company between September 2022 and March 2023. Prosecutors did not identify the company.

The government claims she issued 34 separate payments from the firm to two personal bank accounts, then went into the firm’s payroll systems to change the listed payee from her name to “US Treasury,” “United States Treasury” or “United S Treasury.”