It’s money that’s supposed to help schools, teachers, and students.
But one woman decided to use it as her personal piggy bank — and police are trying to hunt her down.
Police in Scottsdale, AZ are asking for the public’s help, as they try to find a woman who is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a parent teacher association’s bank account.
In a statement received by local affiliate FOX 10 Phoenix on Aug. 9, a Scottsdale Police spokesperson identified the woman they are looking for as Nubia Gonzalez.
An investigation into the alleged theft began on July 3, when Scottsdale Police received a fraud call for the president of Cocopah Middle School’s PTA, who said she noticed the PTA’s savings account was zeroed out on July 2.
Scottsdale Police say they are looking for a woman who allegedly stole over $36,000 from the bank accounts of a middle school's parent teacher association (PTA) https://t.co/GoeSnjBSvT
— FOX 10 Phoenix (@FOX10Phoenix) August 10, 2024
“With assistance from the bank, she realized that several substantial withdrawals had been made from the PTA savings / checking accounts between the dates of [June 28, 2024] and [July 1, 2024].” Scottsdale Police wrote.
Gonzalez, according to police, was elected as the PTA’s treasurer in April, and was given control over the PTA’s bank accounts on June 28.
“The total combined loss between both accounts at this time is over $36,500,” police wrote. “Numerous parents, school employees and police have tried to reach out to Nubia, however their phone numbers are no longer in service. The address she gave to Scottsdale Unified school district (located in Scottsdale) was also fraudulent after numerous detectives attempted to contact Nubia at her listed address.”
Anyone with information on Gonzalez’s whereabouts should call Scottsdale Police at (490) 312-TIPS.
It should be noted that after the original report, it was clarified that the organization was not a PTA, but an APT, also known as an ‘Association of Parents & Teachers.’ In their initial statement, Scottsdale Police identified the organization involved as a PTA.