Liza Cruz Diaz, 45, has been removed from her position as principal of Public School 31 in the Bronx, New York, after being accused of stealing around $5,000 from the school, the New York Daily News reports.
An investigation was launched after a tipster claimed Cruz Diaz falsified overtime records with the school payroll secretary. According to the report, officials caught discrepancies in the time she clocked out and the video footage of her leaving the school.
My Fox New York reports Cruz Diaz also spent around $90 of school money to pay for her daughter's "sweet 16," as well as deleting financial records once she became aware of the investigation.
While the Department of Education says she's been reassigned to "administrative duty," the My Fox reported some officials are lobbying for her termination despite her tenured status.
"There’s a variety of ways people steal money or time," Richard J. Condon, the special commissioner of investigation told The New York Times. "She was doing this on a daily basis."
The investigation found Cruz Diaz was paid for a total of 111 hours that she did not work, costing the school system around $4,800. According to the Times, however, if she had been fabricating her hours since 2008 as the payroll secretary said, she could have cost the district almost $40,000.
My Fox New York reports the commissioner said if the allegations hold, there is a strong possibility she'll be arrested.