May 29 – A former treasurer of the Eisenhower Middle School Parent Teacher Association pleads guilty to stealing more than $45,000 from the organization to pay bills and make personal purchases.
Nicole Piatt of Albuquerque pleaded guilty last week to a federal charge of bank fraud. Piatt, who served as treasurer from 2018 to 2020, used her access to the association’s accounts and cash to make personal purchases and payments to Geico Insurance, Verizon Wireless and Capital One, according to charging documents filed in U.S. District Court.
In her plea agreement, she said she also deposited PTA money directly into her personal bank account without the knowledge or consent of other members. According to federal court records, she said the balance in the PTA’s U.S. bank account was thousands of dollars higher than it actually was.
Piatt has not yet been convicted. However, she faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a maximum fine of double the money she earned, or $250,000, according to court documents.
Piatt’s attorney did not respond to messages from the Journal. The current Eisenhower PTA president could not be reached.
In 2017, Piatt was charged with six counts of forgery and 18 counts of violating the controlled substance law.
The criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court alleged that Piatt forged prescriptions for painkillers under the name of a physician assistant who had previously prescribed her opiates.
That case was dismissed months later after prosecutors failed to meet court deadlines.
