Lunch Ladies Accused Of Skimming Nearly $500,000 From School Cafeterias

Two public schools in the pricey hamlet of New Canaan, Connecticut saw their lunchroom profits decrease, even though student enrollment remained steady. Now authorities may have found the culprits: Sisters Joanne Pascarelli, 61, and Marie Wilson, 67, "have been charged with one count of first-degree larceny for allegedly carrying out a scheme that from 2012 to 2017 robbed the cafeterias at Saxe Middle School and New Canaan High School of about $478,588 in cash," according to NPR.

Pascarelli led the middle school's food program, while Wilson was as assistant food director at the high school, until both were forced by the school board to resign in December. Although both women have denied these charges in the past, now they have surrendered to law enforcement. It appears to be a case of skimming out of the cash register over a period of several years. One fact is particularly telling: Once the women left their jobs, the average lunchroom take increased significantly. At the middle school, for example, "the average daily take hovered around $33; so far this year, the average is more than five times that amount, at about $184." If convicted, both women face about 20 years in prison.