P.S. 166 in Astoria via Google Maps and inset photo via Facebook
Oct. 30, 2024 By Bill Parry
A former PTA president at an Astoria elementary school is accused of stealing more than $41,000 from the organization to pay for personal trips and make purchases at wine stores, smoke shops, and nail salons.
Athena Gonzalez, 33, of Greenvale, LI, was arraigned Tuesday night in Queens Criminal Court on charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
According to the charges, Gonzalez was elected to be the president of the parent-teacher association of P.S. 166, located at 33-09 35th Ave in Astoria, in July 2023.
On or about Dec. 11, 2023, a check for $1,564.87 was drawn from the PTA’s bank account at Connect One Bank and deposited into the defendant’s bank account. Between April 2 and July 26, 2024, approximately six more checks — in amounts between $3,500 and $10,000 — were deposited into the defendant’s Discover bank account. The total amount of the seven checks deposited into Gonzalez’s account was $41,315.87.
After the checks were deposited, Gonzalez made purchases at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, Kalahari Resorts water park in Pennsylvania, smoke shops, nail salons, Starbucks, Sephora, Total Wines, Petco, and other businesses. Gonzalez additionally used PTA funds on gambling apps, for Airbnb reservations, and to pay for identity theft protection.
On June 18, 2024, Gonzalez allegedly used a PTA-associated debit card to charge $1,236.00 for her pet’s medical treatment at a Nassau County veterinary clinic.
Gonzalez is also alleged to have stolen $1,120 in cash from the PTA that was intended to be deposited into a PTA bank account.
“This defendant, as PTA president at P.S. 166 in Astoria, was supposed to be a guardian of the association’s funds but, as alleged, instead put the money into her own account and paid for personal trips to Six Flags Great Adventure and Kalahari Resorts, among other expenses,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “For more than nine months, she used the organization as her own personal checking account and ultimately stole more than $41,000. This money was raised by P.S. 166 families to help the school and its students.”
Gonzalez was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Julieta Lozano, who ordered her to return to court on Dec. 3. If convicted, Gonzalez faces a potential maximum sentence of 2 ⅓ to seven years in prison.
“My office will work to restore those funds and hold this defendant accountable for her breach of trust,” Katz said.
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