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Former Sag Harbor Elementary PTA Vice President Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $14,000 From School PTA
Hope Livingston admitted to third-degree grand larceny after prosecutors said she used PTA funds for personal purchases and cash withdrawals. She is expected to receive probation and pay full restitution.
A former Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA leader has pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from the organization’s bank account and will be required to repay nearly $14,500.
Hope Livingston, 50, of Sag Harbor, pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced.
According to prosecutors, Livingston served as the Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA’s co-treasurer from July 2021 through June 2022 and vice president from July 2022 through June 2024, giving her access to the organization’s bank account through a PTA debit card intended solely for school-related expenses.
PTA Funds Used for Personal Purchases
An investigation found that after new PTA board members assumed control of the account in September 2024, they discovered Livingston had used PTA funds for personal purchases, including transactions at Costco, Amazon, Target, Lululemon and several Sag Harbor businesses. Prosecutors also said she made multiple cash withdrawals from the PTA account for her own use.
Livingston entered her guilty plea before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft. She is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 6, when she is expected to be sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $14,487 in restitution to the Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA.
“My client fully accepted responsibility for her actions,” defense attorney Edward D. Burke Jr. said in a statement. “She must pay full restitution during the term of her probation and abide by all conditions and mandates imposed, demonstrating to not only the court, but the community, how deeply sorry she is for her actions.”
District Attorney Tierney called the theft “a betrayal of our children and community.”
“Stealing from a school’s PTA is not just a crime, it is a betrayal of our children and community,” Tierney said. “My office will continue to have zero tolerance for corruption.”
