West Islip bookkeeper accused of stealing $385,000 from employer

Patricia Sparby, 66, of West Islip is accused of turning routine access to payroll and bank records into a five-year theft that siphoned $385,424.36 from a West Babylon business before it was caught in an internal audit.

Suffolk County police said Sparby worked as a bookkeeper for R & J Display Inc. at 96 Otis St. in West Babylon. Prosecutors said she also served as an office manager and allegedly manipulated payroll records so her own pay was increased by thousands of dollars each week beyond what she was entitled to receive.

Authorities said the alleged scheme ran from January 2019 through August 2024 and involved checks written to herself totaling $385,424.36. Police said the fraud was not uncovered by a customer complaint or a bank alert, but during an internal audit of bank statements in 2025, a detail that underscores how quietly workplace theft can build when the same employee controls too many financial tasks for too long.

Sparby was arrested May 19, 2026, and charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C felony. She was arraigned the same day before District Court Judge F. Scott Carrigan, released without bail because the charge is non-bail eligible under current New York law, and ordered back to court on June 9, 2026.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said the case showed a systematic payroll manipulation scheme rather than a one-time theft. The DA’s office said Sparby faces five to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The investigation was handled by the Suffolk County Police Financial Crimes Unit and the Suffolk County DA’s Financial Crimes Bureau, along with Investigative Auditor Martha Rose and Detective Anthony Deluca. Assistant District Attorney James Bartens is prosecuting the case.

For Suffolk employers, the case is a reminder that embezzlement often hides inside ordinary bookkeeping. A trusted employee with access to payroll, check-writing and bank statements can move money in small increments for years before losses become obvious. Internal audits, separate review of bank reconciliations and payroll approval controls are often the only way to catch a pattern before it becomes a six-figure loss.