Westchester woman sentenced to prison for $130,000 theft from two employers

Michelle Pennant, 48, of Paterson, New Jersey, received a prison sentence on Wednesday, October 28, for stealing more than $130,000 from two former employers in Westchester County.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced that Judge Erin McGoey sentenced Pennant to one and a half to three years in state prison. The ruling followed Pennant’s guilty plea on June 17 to two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and one count of fourth-degree criminal tax fraud.

Prosecutors stated that Pennant embezzled $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 she was employed from April 2022 to April 2024. The names of the two businesses were not made public.

In addition to the thefts, Pennant failed to pay required state taxes on the stolen funds. As part of the sentencing, McGoey ordered Pennant to pay $138,395.54 in restitution. This amount includes approximately $132,800 for her former employers and $5,597 to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

The investigation was led by the Harrison Police Department and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Investigators and a forensic accountant from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office also assisted in the case. Economic Crimes Bureau Chief Gwen Galef prosecuted the matter.