MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Selden woman has been sentenced to up to four years in prison for embezzling more than $1.15 million from two Long Island construction companies over a six-year period, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced.
Mary Spora, 59, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and one count of Falsifying Business Records. She was sentenced this week to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison. Prosecutors had recommended a longer term of 2 to 6 years.
“This defendant selfishly took advantage of her employer… siphoning more than a million dollars… We will continue to investigate and follow the money,” said DA Donnelly.
Between February 2017 and May 2023, Spora served as a bookkeeper for Independent Equipment Corp. and Coastal Materials, both based in Long Island. Authorities say she exploited her position by issuing approximately 113 unauthorized checks, diverting company funds to an account shared with her husband.
Investigators revealed:
$608,000 was stolen from Coastal through more than 75 checks.
$540,000 was stolen from Big Apple Concrete Supply, a company under the same ownership, via over 30 checks.
Spora also manipulated payroll and accounting software to falsely list her husband’s company as a vendor, masking the fraud behind legitimate-looking entries.
An audit showed that the stolen funds were spent on personal expenses, travel, credit card debt, and retail purchases.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Investigative Counsel Heidi Bausk, with oversight from the Major Financial Frauds Bureau and Executive Assistant DA Rick Whelan. Spora was represented by Robert Schalk, Esq.
