An ex-bookkeeper for the Delaware River waterfront agency stole $2.6M to fund her gambling and vacations, feds say

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday accused a former bookkeeper for the government-backed nonprofit that manages Penn’s Landing, Spruce Street Harbor Park, and other riverfront attractions of embezzling more than $2.6 million to fuel a gambling habit and to fund resort vacations to the Bahamas and Hawaii.

Angela DiPietro-Sabatine, 57, of Pennsauken, managed the finances of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation from 1996 until 2019, when she was fired for what the nonprofit described as “unrelated performance issues.” It was only months later that the DRWC uncovered the theft she allegedly committed during the last seven years of her employment and reported it to the FBI.

According to the indictment, DiPietro-Sabatine regularly used her position to draw up fake invoices, cut checks payable to herself, and forge signatures of the nonprofit’s executives so she could transfer money into her account. Because she allegedly listed the withdrawals as payments to legitimate vendors in the DRWC’s books, the organization’s auditors failed to notice the missing money for years. They discovered the false payments when discrepancies arose after her firing and she was no longer there to explain them away.

Prosecutors say DiPietro-Sabatine spent at least $10,000 of her ill-gotten gains at area casinos each month. In one instance, she blew more than $34,000 gambling during a 2017 trip to California, the indictment alleges.

The rest largely bankrolled trips to Lake Tahoe, Disney World, the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, and the Hawaiian Disney Resort, Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said.

“The alleged conduct in this case shows a pattern of deception and dishonesty that went on for the better part of a decade,” Williams said in a statement. “Organizations must be able to rely on the honesty of employees who handle money, and this is especially important when the entity has a mission meant to benefit the public.”

The DRWC was established to develop the publicly owned waterfront land between Oregon and Allegheny Avenues. The nonprofit has launched and manages several recreational destinations like Penn’s Landing, the Spruce Street Harbor Park, and the Blue Cross RiverRink festivals.

The theft, while significant, is not expected to impact DRWC’s future operations because it was spread out over several years, the agency said in a statement Tuesday. It also outlined several new financial controls it has implemented to prevent similar situations in the future.

“DRWC is deeply troubled by Ms. Sabatine’s abuse of the trust placed in her for so many years,” the statement said. “We will continue to cooperate fully with federal authorities until this matter is concluded.”

DiPietro-Sabatine faces charges including bank and wire fraud and identity theft — the most serious of which could send her to prison for up to 30 years. She pleaded not guilty during a brief court appearance Tuesday and was released from custody to await trial.

Her attorney, federal public defender Mark Wilson, did not return requests for comment.