Queens school staffer accused of stealing $415k for private cheer company

QUEENS, NY – A former staff member at a Flushing public school has been indicted for allegedly stealing more than $400,000 meant for educational materials and funneling the money into her private cheerleading business.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that 53-year-old Abi Corbin, of Laurelton, was arraigned on charges of grand larceny and identity theft following an investigation into missing funds from the East-West School of International Studies (P.S. 281Q).

Prosecutors say Corbin used her position as a community associate to divert $415,000 in school funds over a three-year period.

She is accused of ordering cheerleading equipment and merchandise for her private company, Queens Campus Cheer, while falsely using her principal’s login credentials to authorize the transactions.

Funds diverted from students, prosecutors say

According to the indictment, Corbin’s role included processing purchase orders for school supplies through the Department of Education’s financial system. Between July 2021 and July 2024, she allegedly created fraudulent work orders that appeared legitimate but redirected taxpayer money to her own enterprise.

The alleged theft was uncovered on July 31, 2024, when several boxes of cheerleading merchandise were delivered to the school — which does not have a cheerleading program. Investigators later traced the purchases to Corbin’s company.

Officials call case a breach of public trust

District Attorney Katz said Corbin “stole funds intended to help students thrive” and vowed to hold accountable anyone who undermines the integrity of public education.

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Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District Anastasia Coleman called the scheme a “brazen abuse of position” and credited alert Department of Education staff for recognizing the misconduct.

Facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted

Corbin was arraigned before Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino, who ordered her to return to court on December 2. If convicted, she faces a sentence of five to 15 years in state prison.

The investigation was led by the Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District in coordination with the Queens County District Attorney’s Public Corruption Bureau.

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