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Christine Vardanian, age 56, of Marlborough in Hartford County, is charged with first-degree larceny, Connecticut State Police said on Wednesday, Oct. 23. She was later released after posting a $5,000 bail, authorities said.
Vardanian worked as a secretary at RHAM High School and had access to the district's Amazon account. School officials became suspicious of her after an iPad that the school had purchased needed to be returned, but Vardanian couldn't produce the correct tablet, authorities said.
School officials began looking into the Amazon account's history and found 878 suspicious purchases that they could link to Vardanian dating back to 2019, authorities said.
She allegedly purchased computers, multiple televisions, iPads, brakes for her truck, protein shakes, an exercise hip-thrust belt, clothing, jewelry, and expensive electronics. Vardanian also bought an iPad for a friend who worked at the school, telling him she'd been directed to spend the money at the end of the fiscal year, according to a police report.
That employee shared a screenshot of their Amazon wish list with Vardanian, and she purchased some of those items using public money. The school district later fired that employee, as well, the authorities said. Their name was not released.
RHAM administrators confronted Vardanian in May and placed her on administrative leave as they investigated the claims.
When school officials questioned Vardanian after gathering enough information to fire her, she confessed to spending the money but begged the school not to involve the police because she needed to take care of her children, authorities said. She offered to return the items and pay back the money.
Vardanian told them that she couldn't explain her actions or even remember some of the purchases such as motorcycle parts and Lego sets.
She later texted the administrator who conducted the investigation and pleaded for them to not involve the police. "... I still need to take care of my family," she wrote. "Please."
In June, Vardanian hired a lawyer and refused to speak with police.
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