Natalie Connor
The former president of the Roosevelt Public Library pleaded guilty in Nassau County court on Wednesday to stealing more than $47,000 of library money to pay for airplane tickets, car repairs, groceries, and restaurant bills, according to Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.
Natalie Connor, 46, of Roosevelt, pleaded guilty to grand larceny and faces up to seven years in prison at her Oct. 8 sentencing in front of Nassau County Judge Margaret Reilly.
From about May 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, Connor, who in addition to serving as president of the library, acted as co-director of the library’s fundraising foundation, embezzled $47,278 from the foundation’s bank account, Rice said. The foundation was established in 2006 as the fundraising arm of the library, raising money for the library’s expansion project and for the library’s enrichment, programs, technical equipment, training and community events.
“We refused to plea bargain this case because the message has to be sent that when you violate the public’s trust, when you steal from your community, you will be held accountable for what you have done,” said Rice in a statement. “For the sake of this community and the people the library serves, and to restore the public’s faith in the system, I will be asking the judge to send this defendant to prison.”
