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On Friday, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino announced that former Pelham Country Club Controller Gretchen Wauchope, 47, has been sentenced to between two and seven years in prison after embezzling $719,000 from her former employer.
According to Scarpino, from January 2010 through February 2015, Wauchope “systematically embezzled funds” from the Pelham Country Club by drawing and negotiating checks from the club's bank account into her own personal bank accounts. She also initiated electronic payments from the club’s accounts to pay for personal credit card debts.
The funds embezzled were used to pay for luxury items such as a $100,000 recreational vehicle, high-end salon visits, luxury automobiles and rent on a private home exceeding $4,000 a month, Scarpino noted. Wauchope also failed to pay state income tax on the money she stole, totaling more than $45,000.
The larceny was first discovered following an internal investigation by the Pelham Country Club, who then turned matters over to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Wauchope ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree grand larceny and two counts of criminal tax fraud, all felonies. She has been remanded to the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections and has been ordered to repay $719,270.20 for the larceny and $45,486 in New York State taxes.
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