New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott today announced the arrest of a City University of New York (“CUNY”) Hunter College bursar’s office assistant on charges he stole cash deposits he took in for the school by simply voiding transactions after they were completed to make it appear the money never changed hands.
Alberto Zamora, 28, of Corona, was charged with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a felony. He is alleged to have stolen $6,217.28 in cash deposits he handled for the Hunter College’s bursar’s office from May 2015 through June 2016.
An investigation by Inspector General Leahy Scott found that Zamora was hired as a full-time CUNY office assistant in October 2013. On occasion, especially during a colleague’s maternity leave in 2016, he was assigned to work the cash register at the bursar’s office, collecting payments for deposit from various school entities and departments, including student clubs and child care. The investigation found that on at least 18 occasions, Zamora received cash for deposit, entered the amount into the school computer system and provided the payers with a receipt, only to later void the transaction from the computer system to make it appear the transaction did not take place. In total, Zamora was charged with stealing $6,217.28 from those transactions. It was also found that at the time of the thefts the college had no written policies on how to handle voided transactions at the bursar’s office. Furthermore, when a colleague asked for records of Zamora’s voids, Zamora indicated the records were locked in a desk drawer to which there was no key, and never provided those records.
Inspector General Leahy Scott’s investigation into Zamora’s activities arose from her ongoing investigation into CUNY’s oversight and management of its campuses, among other issues.
“This defendant took advantage of his employer’s lax financial controls and scant oversight so he could enrich himself through a series of thefts by simply trying to make it appear the transactions he handled never existed,” said Inspector General Leahy Scott. “He violated the trust of the Hunter College students as well as the taxpaying public who supports the school. I will continue my ongoing investigation into the management and oversight of CUNY campuses while pursuing anyone who violates the trust of their public position.”
Zamora was arraigned on the charge in New York County Criminal Court on Wednesday afternoon and released pending further court action.
Inspector General Leahy Scott thanked New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., and his office for prosecuting this matter.
The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law
