MORRIS, N.Y. — A former treasurer for the Morris Central School District in Otsego County will not serve any jail time after admitting to stealing $34,000 from her employer over a six-year period. On May 13, a federal court sentenced Kristina Hand, 47, of Morris, to two years of probation and ordered her to serve […]
MORRIS, N.Y. — A former treasurer for the Morris Central School District in Otsego County will not serve any jail time after admitting to stealing $34,000 from her employer over a six-year period.
On May 13, a federal court sentenced Kristina Hand, 47, of Morris, to two years of probation and ordered her to serve 50 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay $34,000 in restitution, according to a news release from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli
Hand could have faced up to 10 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, and up to three years of post-imprisonment supervised release, DiNapoli’s office said in a prior announcement in early January.
Hand pled guilty last September to two counts of federal program theft, for stealing from a school district that received federal funds, the comptroller said.
The Morris Central School District is a small rural district, located in the village of Morris in the Butternut Valley of Otsego County. It has a school population of about 300 students, housed in one building for students from Pre-K to 12th grade. The district has about 100 employees.
In her role as treasurer at Morris Central School District from 2014 through February 2020, Hand stole about $24,000 by depositing checks payable to the school district into bank accounts that she controlled. She also admitted to taking at least $10,000 more by using the school district’s Amazon account and credit cards to purchase items for her personal use.
“Ms. Hand took advantage of her position as treasurer and thought she could get away with stealing from the school district to fund her personal shopping,” DiNapoli said. “She was wrong and now she must face the consequences of her actions. My thanks to Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York Antoinette T. Bacon and the FBI for their continued partnership in the fight against public corruption.”
This case was investigated in partnership with the FBI and the New York State Police and was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District.