A former bookkeeper who embezzled more than $1 million from two Long Island construction companies could spend years behind bars.

Mary Spora, 59, of Selden, was sentenced to between one and four years in prison in Nassau County Court on Wednesday, May 28. It followed her guilty pleas to grand larceny and falsifying business records in August 2024.

An investigation found that Spora abused her position as a bookkeeper to steal from Coastal Materials and Big Apple Concrete Supply, Inc., which share the same owner, the Nassau County DA's office said.

She altered payroll software records to make it appear that the checks were going to legitimate vendors, when in fact they were redirected to a company owned by her husband, prosecutors said.

Between 2017 and 2023, Spora wrote more than 100 unauthorized checks worth a combined $1.15 million, depositing the money into a joint account she shared with her husband, prosecutors said. The stolen funds were spent on personal expenses, credit cards, retail purchases, and travel.

"Financial crimes hurt businesses and the employees who work for them," said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. "We will continue to investigate and follow the money when an allegation of financial fraud is made and hold defendants accountable for using deceit and deception to line their own pockets."

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