Two sisters who were former cafeteria workers are charged with stealing nearly a half-million dollars from Connecticut schools over the last five years.
Police say 61-year-old Joanne Pascarelli, of Stratford, and her sister, 67-year-old Marie Wilson, of Wilton, turned themselves in to New Canaan police this weekend after warrants were issued for their arrest.
The two have been charged with larceny and defrauding a public community for allegedly stealing $478,588 from Saxe Middle School and New Canaan High School from 2012 to 2017. Board of Education officials did not reply to a request for comment.
According to a report from NPR, the schools noticed irregularities related to the way cash was handled from the cafeteria cash registers. Police now believe the two were skimming cash from the registers over the years.
An attorney for Wilson says she is innocent and is “not going to be scapegoated.” The sisters have been released after each posted a $50,000 bond, and will be in court later in August. An attorney for Pascarelli could not be identified.
