A Bridgeport, Connecticut, elementary school principal has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $10,000 from Dunbar Elementary School’s student fundraising account to gamble at Mohegan Sun casino.
According to WTNH.com, Marilyn Taylor, 46, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree larceny. She posted $20,000 bond.
As FoxCT reported Tuesday, the investigation and audit of the student activity account revealed that more than $10,000 was spent at the Mohegan Sun casino, even though students never traveled to the casino.
Superintendent of Bridgeport Schools Fran Rabinowitz said district business officials found out about the missing funds in late October or early November, and a letter was sent to parents and school staff to inform them about the incongruities in the student account and the investigation into Taylor. The principal was then placed on administrative leave on November 10, reported WTNH.com.
Taylor’s landlord, Doug Knapp, said he was not very surprised to hear the news because of “the fact that she was getting all these flyers everyday [sic] in the mail from up and down the coast casinos,” adding that Taylor was late paying rent on several occasions. He claimed Taylor moved out just days before her arrest, stating she could not pay December’s rent.
Superintendent Rabinowitz, however, said the news about Taylor was unexpected. “It makes it very difficult because she was very well-liked by the parents and students, and very well-respected by the parents and the community,” Rabinowitz said.
Taylor is due in court on January 2.
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