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Brooklyn BID Director Allegedly Stole $85K In Clothes, Food And Beyonce Tickets
By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 17, 2015
Modified Mar 17, 2015
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 17, 2015
Modified Mar 17, 2015
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The former director of a Brooklyn business improvement district has been accused of stealing $85,000 from the organization to finance her personal life—including clothes, groceries and $600 Beyonce tickets, among other things.
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced Monday that 63-year-old Sharon Davidson was found to be skimming the coffers of the North Flatbush Business Improvement District, in addition to allegedly collecting unemployment insurance benefits, despite her title.
In her capacity at the BID, Davidson was entrusted with access to all of its finances in order to do her job benefiting the 150 small businesses under her purview.
Instead, she allegedly used her power to make unauthorized withdrawals and purchases, including "$3,000 at Fresh Direct, $4,000 at Talbots, $600 for Beyonce concert tickets, $600 at Weight Watchers, $400 on manicures and pedicures, $13,000 paid through Paypal for items such as shoes, clothing, jewelry and makeup, and numerous purchases from restaurants."
Prosecutors also claim that she applied for unemployment benefits despite still receiving her $30,000 per year salary.
Davidson, who currently resides in Suffolk County, has been charged with various counts of larceny, criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree scheme to defraud, and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.
“The 150 small business owners who joined the North Flatbush BID paid into it with the expectation that those funds would be used to promote their businesses," Thompson said in a statement. "Instead, the defendant allegedly used the BID’s accounts as her own personal piggy bank, spending non-stop on everything from airline tickets to chocolates. She will now be held accountable. ”
However, Davidson's lawyer told the Daily News she had records to back up the spending, "She maintains her innocence. “She wants to fight the case."
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North Flatbush Business Improvement District
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Lauren Evans
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