Westchester Judge Orders $138K Restitution for Ex-Employees Who Stole Over $130K

Judge Erin McGoey of Westchester County Court sentenced Michelle Pennant to one and a half to three years in state prison on Wednesday, October 28. The 48-year-old Paterson, New Jersey, resident also received an order to pay $138,395.54 in restitution. This amount includes approximately $132,800 for her former employers and $5,597 for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

Pennant pleaded guilty on June 17 to two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and one count of fourth-degree criminal tax fraud. All three charges are felonies. She admitted to stealing $70,250.46 from a Westchester-based construction company where she worked from March 2023 to April 2024. She also took $62,548.08 from a home decorating business where her employment spanned April 2022 to April 2024. Prosecutors noted that she failed to pay required state taxes on the stolen funds.

The two affected businesses were not publicly identified in the court documents. Economic Crimes Bureau Chief Gwen Galef led the prosecution. The investigation involved the Harrison Police Department, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and forensic accountants from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced the sentence on Wednesday. The court imposed the maximum range for the felonies, reflecting the total theft of over $132,798 across the two private companies. Pennant will serve her term in state prison following the guilty plea entered earlier this year.