Long Island woman admits she stole from summer camp for years
A 47-year-old Long Island woman pleaded guilty this week to stealing about $250,000 from a local summer camp while she was working there, Suffolk County prosecutors said.
Melanie Bergstedt was arraigned on Wednesday for grand theft in the second degree for embezzlement at a camp headquartered in Commack. Prosecutors say she stole the money for four years, from 2016 to 2020.
According to court records, during this time, Bergstedt admitted to transferring customer payments to other bank accounts. The bank accounts were opened under the same names as the camp, without the owner’s knowledge or permission, to cover up the theft and use the funds for their own personal gain, the papers said.
“The defendant put her greed ahead of the welfare of the children by stealing the summer camp money and pocketing it for her personal needs,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in announcing the plea. “If you steal from local businesses, you are also hurting the Suffolk County community as a whole. Accordingly, you will be held accountable for your actions and legally forced to return the stolen money.”
Bergstedt’s lawyer could not be contacted for comment on the application. Her client must make amends to the victim. Otherwise, she faces three to 15 years in prison at her sentencing hearing in May, prosecutors say.
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