NEW YORK—A Brooklyn couple was arrested for allegedly defrauding about 100 Asian immigrant families out of $25,000. An investigation revealed that the defendants, Patrick and Joanne Panettieri, abruptly closed down their Chinatown Outreach Ministry School, and allegedly fled with the money.
The school promised to teach approximately 100 Chinese pre-kindergarten, and elementary school-aged children, English. When parents showed up at the school on Aug. 13, they found the doors locked and they were not informed of the closings.
Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced that the couple was arrested on Friday, Aug. 30, in Syracuse, N.Y. They were charged with scheme to defraud in the first degree, petit larceny, and grand larceny in the fourth degree.
“The victims in this case paid, with their hard-earned money, to learn the English language. This was not a real school, but it was a fraud. The defendants were selling a product that did not exist,” Hynes said in a press release.
The bail for each defendant was set at $150,000 and if convicted, the two face up to four years in prison.
“I want to commend my detectives and I want to thank the detective investigators from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office and members of the Brooklyn Chinese American Association, who provided us resources and assisted us in the apprehension of the defendants,” Hynes said.
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