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The New York State Inspector General’s Office announced that Ulster County resident Cynthia Marcello, age 55, of Hurley, a former SUNY Sullivan professor, was charged with a felony count of forgery for allegedly stealing $32,400 through a phony grant she submitted.
Inspector General Lucy Lang said that Marcello, a computer science professor at the university for 12 years before her resignation in 2020, found that she allegedly falsely completed and signed a grant application on behalf of the college, without permission or authorization, with $32,400 coming directly to her instead of the school.
The purported federal grant was applied for by the Liberty Central School District in Sullivan College in conjunction with Sullivan BOCES that would have allowed the schools to partner and afford teachers new opportunities for professional learning opportunities.
Officials said that the grant was supposed to go through SUNY Sullivan and then be paid to Marcello, who would then have received between $1,000 and $3,000 legally. Instead, Marcello, who filled out the application, allegedly listed herself as the vendor and was paid $32,400 directly.
It is alleged that one witness said that Marcello “cut (SUNY Sullivan) out,” and “deliberately deceived (the college).”
“When the college discovered that the grant process in which Dr. Marcello was involved fell outside the normal approval process, we notified the authorities,” said SUNY Sullivan President Jay Quaintance in a written statement. “We are grateful for the work of the Inspector General’s office, the New York State Police, and other authorities on this matter.”
Lang added, “Dr. Marcello's alleged forging of a federal grant application for personal profit is an affront to the intention of such programs — providing professional growth and learning opportunities for teachers at high-need school districts.
"Especially during these difficult times, the resources allocated to New York's teachers should never be compromised.”
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