By Paul J. Condra
Dorothy Robinson, 39, of Sampson Street, was arrested last Thursday on charges of grand larceny and falsifying business records, police said. She was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead and was released in her own recognizance, officials said.
Police said Robinson stole funds from the PTA during the year she held the position from October 2000 to October 2001.
The charges against Robinson come seven years after she pleaded guilty in November 1994 to allegations she embezzled $24,244 between March 12 and Nov. 17 of 1993 while working as a bookkeeper at Pistol Licensing of Long Island Inc., of Great Neck.
In that case, Robinson, who was living in Valley Stream at the time, was accused of forging 56 checks
to pay her personal bills, according to court documents. She was sentenced in Nassau criminal court in January 1995 on charges of third-degree grand larceny and
first-degree falsifying business records. She was released on a three-year probation and asked to pay $12,000 in restitution to Pistol Licensing.
According to Nassau Detectives Richard Massa and Bob Gally of the Crimes Against Property Squad, Robinson faces similar charges in this most recent case.
Massa said the thefts of the PTA funds took place in a variety of ways over the course of the year. In one instance, he said, Robinson allegedly changed a check written in the amount of $19 to $219, adding a 2 to the number.
In an interview, Robinson, who said she was shocked by the allegations, said that particular mistake was a simple error and that people do this sort of thing all the time. She said she could not have taken $16,000 because the PTA never had that much money to begin with.
Massa also said Robinson is accused of not depositing all the money earned at PTA events, such as book sales.
But Robinson said these allegations are absolutely absurd, and that the PTA is neglecting all the wonderful things Ive done. In reference to the 1994 conviction, Robinson maintains her innocence in that case as well.
Robinson is five months pregnant and has three children, ages 7, 9 and 11, who attend Centre Avenue school. She is employed as a teachers assistant in another district elementary school, but it is not clear whether she will be returning to work. She is married to Kenneth Robinson, 33, since 1989, who is a warehouse manager.
This totally came out of left field, her husband said. Were concerned about whats going to happen with the kids and school.
Robinsons Garden-City based lawyer, Bruce Barket, said his client has been misrepresented by her accusers.
I think youll see that the way its been portrayed is false in degree and in kind, Barket said. He did not wish to comment further.
Investigators said the district PTA and the school board conducted an internal audit in October to look into the missing funds. That audit raised questions about Robinsons role as treasurer. The report was filed as a complaint with Nassau County police who arrested Robinson last Thursday.
Massa said the arrest was a quiet affair, and that Robinson agreed over the phone to turn herself into police. She was then released without bail.
East Rockaway school officials declined to comment on the case, deferring all inquiries to the school superintendent Arnie Dodge.
Its very tragic whenever this happens, Dodge said, declining to discuss the specifics of the PTAs investigation.
The accusation against Robinson has distressed those in the district.
I was very shocked like everybody else, said Sue Torborg, former PTA co-president of Centre Avenue, who said she knew Robinson as a friend.
