A former vice president of the Sag Harbor Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in Long Island has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $14,000 from the organization to fund personal purchases at stores including Lululemon, Target, Costco, and Amazon.
Hope Livingston, 50, admitted to grand larceny charges on Tuesday, according to Suffolk County prosecutors. She is expected to be ordered to pay $14,500 in restitution. Livingston allegedly embezzled the funds over a period spanning from July 2021 to June 2024, during which time she also served as the PTA treasurer for a portion of the period.
Prosecutors stated that Livingston had access to the PTA's bank account via a debit card intended solely for PTA-related expenses. Instead, she used the card for numerous personal purchases and withdrew cash directly from the account on multiple occasions.
The scheme unraveled in September 2024 when new members joined the PTA board and reviewed the organization's financial records. They discovered Livingston had been using PTA funds for personal shopping.
Livingston, who was arrested in March, is scheduled to return to court on October 6. She faces a potential sentence of five years of probation in addition to the restitution payments, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said.
"Stealing from a school’s PTA is not just a crime, it is a betrayal of our children and community," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. "My office will continue to have zero tolerance for corruption."