Bronx Woman Embezzled Over $1M

A Bronx woman who worked for the New York Archdiocese is accused of embezzling more than $1 million from the church.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office said 67-year-old Anita Collins was employed in the archdiocese’s finance office since 2003.

Prosecutors said she billed the archdiocese for non-existent services and channeled the money into accounts she controlled.

Collins was fired from her job in December after the alleged fraud was uncovered by the archdiocese.

She faces arraignment today.

Prosecutors said Collins had a previous conviction for grand larceny and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in another case but the archdiocese failed to perform a background check before she was hired.

“There will always be individuals who seek to exploit and circumvent whatever system is established, but we will remain vigilant in our oversight,” archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling said in a statement.

“We are continually working to improve our financial controls in order to prevent such occurrences from happening,” Zwilling added.