If you haven’t heard already, Frank Gluberman, the assistant principal at Woodlands High School in Hartsdale, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of second-degree grand larceny, accused of stealing $778,995 from the Greenburgh Teacher’s Federation (GTF).
Gluberman, the treasurer of the GTF until September 2012, at which point he was promoted to assistant principal, allegedly funneled money from the Union’s checking account to his personal account and the accounts of his two daughters.
Llyod Newland, president of the Board of Education, said in a statement that “Mr. Gluberman will be placed on administrative leave pending a review of these allegations” and that the review would take place “once the details of the allegations are issued by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.” He added, “The School District has been assured by the District Attorney’s Office that no funds from any of the School District accounts were implicated in this matter.” Greenburgh Superintendent Ronald Ross declined our request for comment.
About 360 defrauded union members unknowingly paid for property taxes on two Rockland County homes, plus a $530K mortgage for Gluberman’s home on Water’s Edge in Congers. According to public records, he owed $530K on that property in 2007 and had paid it in full by October 2013. Gluberman’s annual salary was $125,476.
GTF President Judie Mirra said in a statement that “[the Union is] deeply concerned by what has occurred” and that “once we suspected questionable transactions, we swiftly took steps to gather and examine records and notify the proper authorities.” Work to determine exactly what happened and the scope of the crime is still underway. Mirra also said she “immediately put into place stronger internal controls to ensure nothing like this can never occur again,” but she stopped short of detailing those measures.
Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said in a statement that Gluberman “used and abused his position as a trusted…administrator” and went on to further condemn his actions, saying, “His cynical raiding of the welfare fund of hundreds of thousands of dollars comes at a time of tight school budgets and dishonors the teachers and administrators who work diligently on a daily basis in the Greenburgh school system.”
So you’re probably wondering, “how did he fly stealth for so long, embezzling such… unsubtle…amounts of money,” or something along those lines. It’s unclear how it went unnoticed for so long, but Gluberman apparently forged Mirra’s signature to clear the checks. However he did it, it’s not looking good for him. Gluberman is being held on $50,000 bail and, if convicted, faces up to 15 years in prison.
