Erin E. Meagher, CEO of the Greater Mahopac-Carmel Chamber of Commerce, was often fashionably dressed at community events in Ivanka Trump shoes and clutching a Kate Spade handbag.
On Tuesday, the chamber fired her. Her apparel and other personal items, according to the business association, were ill-gotten gains from a larceny scheme.
The Putnam County Sheriff”™s Department arrested her on Tuesday and charged her with grand larceny. If convicted, she could be imprisoned for up to four years, fined $5,000 and ordered to pay restitution.
Putnam County District Attorney Robert Tendy knows Meagher, so he has recused himself and turned the case over to Larry Glasser, an assistant district attorney.
Glasser said the fourth-degree larceny charge is based on theft of more than $1,000. The investigation is continuing and he would not discuss specific allegations.
The chamber said in a news release that members of the executive board recently discovered evidence of larceny, fraud and embezzlement. The organization said Meagher used its debit card to buy jewelry, dresses and personal styling services. Then she allegedly fabricated invoices to deceive the board.
Meagher did not respond to an email message asking for her side of the story.
She has led the chamber since January 2016. She is also a Brewster village trustee and a board member of the Putnam County Industrial Development Agency. Before joining the chamber, she was a manager at the Brewster Shipping Center, according to her LinkedIn profile.
“It is disheartening that she has stolen from the more than 390 chamber members,” the news release stated, “and has shattered the trust of our community.”
She is scheduled for arraignment on April 11 in Town of Carmel Justice Court.
