Man Accused of Creating Fake Bus Route to Steal Money From Hudson Valley School District
Authorities have charged a man with creating a fake bus route to steal around $280,000 from a Hudson Valley school district.
Monday in Westchester County Court, 60-year-old William Ahern of Armonk arraigned on charges of grand larceny and rewarding official misconduct, both felonies.
During a nearly two year period, Ahern along with Anna Sollozzo, Transportation Supervisor for the City of Yonkers Board of Education, stole approximately $280,000 from the City of Yonkers for bus services that were never provided for the Nepperhan Community Center.
According to the Westchester District Attorney’s Office, the defendants created a fake bus route by invoicing the Board of Education for bus pickups at the Nepperhan Community Center.
No buses were ever dispatched. Ahern submitted false invoices for the services and Sollozzo would knowingly approve the invoices for payment.
Officials say Ahern secretly deposited $107,250 into Sollozzo’s personal bank account.
The fraud came to light when the Yonkers Inspector General was investigating an unrelated complaint.
Ahern was remanded to Westchester County jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.