A former Coral Springs school employee is facing several charges after she allegedly stole tuition and registration fees over the course of five years -- using it to pay her bills and even go on vacation.
Maria Velasco, 39, worked as an administrative assistant at Center Academy Coral Springs, when the fraudulent payments were discovered back in 2022, authorities said.
The school, located along Riverside Drive, caters to children with disabilities.
Police say the administration realized school fee payments were intentionally diverted into a bank accounts controlled by Velasco in December of 2022.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Coral Springs police reported that the the school administration calculated the losses to be $58,327 and informed Velasco that they were aware, prompting her to admit her involvement.
Velasco was reportedly given the opportunity to re-pay $50,000 and initially paid about $2,070 but then refused to pay the balance, according to a booking report.
Local
Coral Springs detectives later discovered that Velasco had been funneling the school's money to Zelle accounts - instead of the system the school used - since 2018.
The accounts allegedly received a total of $246,094.
Center Academy Coral Springs has since covered all costs related to the theft, police added.
Velasco is facing money laundering and theft charges. She has since bonded out of jail.
