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Angela DiPietro-Sabatine, 57, of Pennsauken, NJ, was charged by indictment with ten counts of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting, Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said.
The DRWC is non-profit, quasi-governmental entity whose mission is to design, develop, and manage the central Delaware River waterfront from Oregon to Allegheny Avenues for the benefit of Philadelphia residents.
DiPietro-Sabatine's duties as the accounting administrator included managing the accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliations, and general ledger work.
The Indictment alleges that she used the non-profit’s computerized accounting software, located in its offices in Philadelphia, to create false expense items for legitimate vendors of DRWC – invoicing services that were never rendered.
DiPietro-Sabatine then generated DRWC checks for these false expense items, manipulated the computerized accounting software to change the payee on the check from the legitimate vendor to herself, and forged the signatures of DRWC’s authorized signatories, the President and Vice President, on these unauthorized checks made payable to herself, the indictment said.
DiPietro-Sabatine then used the stolen proceeds on personal expenses, including gambling and luxury vacations, authorities said.
The indictment alleges that this scheme occurred over the course of at least seven years, resulting in the theft of more than $2.6 million from DRWC.
DiPietro-Sabatine's LinkedIn profile says she worked for DRWC from 1996 to 2019.
“The alleged conduct in this case shows a pattern of deception and dishonesty that went on for the better part of a decade,” Williams said
“Organizations must be able to rely on the honesty of employees who handle money, and this is especially important when the entity has a mission meant to benefit the public.
"As alleged, DiPietro-Sabatine went to great lengths to hide her criminal conduct from her employer; our Office thanks DRWC for coming forward and cooperating fully with the investigation so we can hold this defendant responsible for her actions.”
“The FBI is committed to tracking down those who abuse their positions of trust for personal gain,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.
“Embezzlement from non-profits like DRWC erodes citizens' faith in their leaders, and bringing those engaging in economic crimes to justice will continue to be one of the FBI’s top criminal investigative priorities.
"Today’s indictment sends the message that the FBI will work tirelessly to protect non-profits and other government entities from fraud, waste and abuse.”
If convicted, DiPietro-Sabatine faces a maximum possible sentence of 230 years in prison, a six year mandatory minimum sentence, a $4,250,000 fine, and restitution of more than $2.6 million.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine E. Driscoll.
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