NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A woman is facing multiple charges for allegedly stealing nearly $70,000 in court filing transactions and pocketing the money, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Monday.
Lori Argiro-DiPietro, 55, of Staten Island, was arraigned today on a 47-count indictment in which she is charged with grand larceny, tampering with public records, falsifying business records, offering a false instrument for filing, and official misconduct.
According to an investigation between January 1, 2020 and August 9, 2022, Argiro-DiPietro allegedly voided at least 436 cash transactions totaling $69,515.50.
Argiro-DiPietro allegedly stole the money by voiding cash transactions involving persons who paid to file or obtain documents from the court, such as divorce or business certificate filings.
She filed the documents or provided copies to the persons seeking them before she allegedly voided the transactions in the records of the New York State Unified Court System and kept the funds, authorities said.
Argiro-DiPietro worked for the Unified Court System for 37 years and was terminated on August 10, 2022.
The investigation began after a routine audit by the NYS Unified Court System's Internal Audit Services office of the financial records and internal controls of the Kings County Clerk's Office, specifically relating to cash receipts and disbursements of KCCO's Cashier's Office, officials said.
"This defendant's alleged theft is a betrayal of the trust of her employer and the public. We will now seek to recover the funds allegedly stolen from the court and hold this defendant accountable," District Attorney Gonzalez said.
