Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe today announced that Joyce Bidnick (DOB 11/19/53) of 11 Mark Drive, New City, New York has been charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class “C” Felony.

Bidnick, who has served as Treasurer of the New City Little League since 2003, is accused of stealing more than $50,000 by repeatedly making unauthorized withdrawals from Capital One bank accounts maintained by the sports organization.

Over the term of her office, the defendant allegedly wrote and deposited multiple league checks to herself without permission or authority. Checks were made out to her personally and also made payable to “cash.”

Bidnick has admitted to stealing $100,000 from the league. An ongoing investigation will determine the actual amount of the theft.

District Attorney Zugibe said, “Once again, a trusted member of our community decided to serve herself rather than the children and families that the money was intended for. This defendant’s alleged actions represent a clear violation of trust. I will make certain that this case is aggressively prosecuted, including restitution of every penny.”

The defendant was arrested last night after a search warrant on her New City residence was executed. Financial documents and computers were seized from the home.

The alleged theft was uncovered on April 30th, 2011 by officers of the New City Little League after the Bidnick attempted to replace some of the stolen funds. The matter was brought to the attention of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office.

According to the charges, Bidnick routinely covered up the thefts by falsifying the monthly account balance reports she submitted to league board members.

The defendant was arraigned in Clarkstown Justice Court by the Honorable Scott Ugell. Bail was set at $100,000 cash or bond.

She was remanded to the Rockland County jail.

Bidnick is due to return to court on May 6, 2011.

She faces up to fifteen years in state prison, if convicted.

The arrest of the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Rockland County Special Investigations Unit and the Rockland County Computer Crimes Unit.

Bidnick’s arrest marks second time within a year that a Rockland County resident has been charged in connection with stealing money from a youth sports league.

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