NY woman admits to stealing $1 million from Jewish cemetery

NEW YORK (JTA) — A Brooklyn woman pleaded guilty to charges that she stole $1 million from a Jewish cemetery on Staten Island.

Ilana Friedman, 51, admitted to grand larceny in Staten Island Supreme Court on Tuesday. Friedman, former director of the United Hebrew Cemetery, stole the money over a six-year period.

Friedman and her husband, Arthur, the cemetery’s former president, agreed to pay $1.1 million in restitution. Arthur Friedman did not face charges of theft, DNAInfo reported, but court papers accused him of failing to oversee his wife’s activities.

“The Friedmans abused their posts at this Staten Island cemetery to enrich themselves,” New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. “This law-breaking husband-and-wife team will now pay for their shameless misconduct.”