Former Bookkeeper From Westbury Accused Of Embezzling $120K

Jennifer Jira, age 40, of Westbury, was arraigned on Thursday, Aug. 18, and charged with grand larceny and falsifying business records, said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.

Jira pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance. If convicted on the top charge, she faces. up to 15 years in prison.

“Slowly, over a period of years, the defendant allegedly leveraged her access to Local 713’s financial accounts to siphon more than $120,000 from its coffers, using the funds to pay for living expenses, clothing, and utilities,” said Donnelly.

According to the charges, Jira worked as a bookkeeper for Local 713 International Brotherhood of Trade Union, located in Garden City, from April 2014 through September 2021. 

In her role, Jira was responsible for reviewing and recording the union’s financial activity and had access to its financial records, accounting, and payroll software, the DA's Office said.

From approximately June 2015 through August 2021, Jira allegedly issued some 384 checks payable to herself from union's bank accounts, with a total value of approximately $123,468, court records show.

She then allegedly cashed more than 300 checks at check cashing businesses in New Hyde Park, Hempstead, and Levittown, and also directly deposited checks into her personal bank account, the DA's Office said.

To cover up the crimes, Jira allegedly made false entries into the QuickBooks accounting software, altering payee information for the checks to indicate that they had been issued to legitimate vendors, court records show.

After discovering an unauthorized check issued from the union’s bank account, the union conducted an audit of its bank accounts in August 2021 and found further unauthorized checks had been issued, the DA's Office said.

Union officials confronted Jira about the alleged fraud, and she was terminated in Sept. 2021. They then filed a complaint with the District Attorney's Office.

Jira surrendered to NCDA investigators on Thursday.

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