Sister lunch ladies arrested for stealing about $500K in children's lunch money, police say

Lilly Price | USA TODAY

Over the past five years, two sisters quietly funneled nearly half a million dollars out of affluent schools in New Canaan, Connecticut, by pocketing the cash children spent on lunch while working at the schools' cafeterias.

Joanne Pascarelli, 61, and her sister Marie Wilson, 67, are charged with larceny and defrauding a public community for allegedly stealing $478,588 from Saxe Middle School and New Canaan High School by lowballing how much cash they collected and pocketing the rest.

Although police say the scheme could have been in operation for 15 years, the charges are limited to the money stolen from 2012 to 2017 — almost a whopping half million dollars.

“We are deeply upset by this alleged violation of our trust of the entire community and are committed to continuing our full cooperation with the New Canaan Police Department regarding these allegations,” superintendent of schools Bryan Luizzi said in a statement.

More: Girl arrested in connection with theft at Scott Frost's home

More: Alleged wine theft from Goldman Sachs' 'CEO-in-waiting' could end in plea bargain deal

More: Shark from San Antonio Aquarium returned after thieves are caught on video using baby stroller to carry animal

The Board of Education received a $500,000 reimbursement for the theft and chose to pursue a criminal case against the sisters, according to police records. The money stolen came out of a cafeteria fund, which is separate than the district's operating budget, according to Luizzi.

The two sisters turned themselves in to New Canaan police over the weekend after arrest warrants were issued. They were both released after paying a $50,000 bond.

School officials started to become suspicious over the years after a new software that tracks cash intake was implement in 2016 at Saxe Middle School where Pascarelli worked, according to local paper the New Canaan News.

From the 2013 to 2016 fiscal years Saxe Middle School had an average daily deposit ranging from $18 to $33. Once the new software was installed in 2016, the daily deposits started averaging $93 a day in 2017 and $183 a day in 2018, the New Canaan News reported.

Pascarelli told police she would “never take money” while Wilson, who said she gave $100 a day to her boss in the New Canaan High School cafeteria, also said she "never took a dollar."

Wilson worked as an assistant food director for New Canaan High School, which lost $350,000 from 2012 to 2017. Police said under Wilson's direction, cashiers didn't count money at the end of the day but rather left that job for Wilson.

Wilson's attorney, Mark Sherman, says she is innocent and is "not going to be scapegoated." Wilson will be pleading not guilty. Both sisters have August court dates.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Follow Lilly Price on Twitter: @lillianmprice