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On Wednesday, authorities revealed the arrest of a PTA member from Long Island, accused of embezzling over $50,000 from an elementary school while working as an officer with the New York Police Department.
Jodi Scarlatos, 43, hailing from Centereach, held the role of treasurer for the Jericho Elementary School PTA. During her tenure, she allegedly diverted funds from the association to cover personal expenses and leisurely activities, a scheme purported to have begun at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
The allegations against Scarlatos, detailed in a lawsuit filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court, emerged amid her financial difficulties. In July 2022, she reportedly began missing mortgage payments, leading her bank to start foreclosure proceedings. The lawsuit indicates she owes more than $375,000 in total debt.
The alleged misappropriation came to light when control of the PTA’s bank account transitioned to a new board in 2023, uncovering the financial irregularities.
Jodi Scarlatos was taken into custody on Monday, facing allegations of embezzling $50,000 from the school’s PTA over a three-year period.
“Parent Teacher Associations serve a vital function in school communities throughout Suffolk County,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.Â
“The allegations in this case represent a betrayal of the trust the residents of Centereach placed in this defendant, and my office will continue to hold accountable everyone who unlawfully enriches themselves at the public’s expense.”Â
Her lawyer told Fox News Digital Thursday the PTA mom had previously worked as a transit officer with the New York Police Department. She reportedly retired from the force in January 2025.Â
According to prosecutors, Scarlatos served as treasurer of the Jericho Elementary School PTA from July 2020 through September 2023.
A sign for the Jericho Elementary School at the entrance of a campus in New York. (Google Maps)
During that time, she was issued a debit card intended solely for PTA-related expenses but allegedly used the funds for restaurants, hotels, rental cars, Best Buy, Ticketmaster, Amazon and Verizon Wireless.Â
Scarlatos also allegedly moved cash from the PTA coffers into her personal bank account, prosecutors alleged.
In addition, officials said she continued making transactions during summer recesses and holiday breaks, periods when school was not in session.
In July 2022, Scarlatos allegedly stopped paying her mortgage, according to a foreclosure lawsuit filed by U.S. Bank Trust National Association in March 2024. Court records point to mounting financial pressure and significant debt leading up to the action.
The following year, just months before she stepped away from her school role, the embattled PTA official had initiated a small fundraiser for a hospital supported by the elementary school, according to her Facebook page.
“Help me raise funds for St. Jude!,” she wrote in a Jan. 17, 2023, Facebook post. “I’ve joined the fight to help end childhood cancer by participating in the St. Jude Math-A-Thon.Â
“I’m solving math problems and raising funds to help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. You can help me reach my fundraising goal for the kids of St. Jude, who are battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”
The front entrance of Jericho Middle School, located in Jericho, N.Y., Nov. 14, 2024. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Scarlatos’ transactions allegedly continued until the next board members for the 2023–2024 school year took over and discovered the troubling findings, according to investigators.
Scarlatos surrendered to the district attorney’s office Monday and was arraigned before District Court Judge Jonathan Bloom on a charge of grand larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony.
If convicted, she faces five to 15 years in prison.Â
The Long Island mom was released without bail and is due back in court May 5, 2026.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Jericho Elementary School PTA and NYPD for more information.