An Ansonia woman charged with stealing more than $20,000 from an elementary school parent teacher organization took a plea deal Thursday that could see her sent to prison for up to three years.
Kelly Kahyaoglu pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny at Superior Court in Milford before Judge Frank Iannotti, according to a court clerk.
Her sentencing is scheduled for June 25 in order for a probation official to prepare a pre-sentence report in the case.
The plea deal calls for a 10-year prison sentence to be suspended after Kahyaoglu serves up to three years behind bars, followed by five years of probation.
At the sentencing, her lawyer will have a chance to argue for a completely suspended sentence, in which she would avoid jail altogether.
Kahyaoglu’s court file included an application Kahyaoglu filed in January to take part in accelerated rehabilitation, a form of unsupervised probation which, if completed successfully, results in a dismissal of criminal charges. But she withdrew the application prior to Thursday’s plea.
She was arrested June 27 and charged by Ansonia Police with a single count of first-degree larceny after a 17-month investigation into allegations of theft from the parent teacher organization at Prendergast Elementary School.
In an arrest warrant, police said Kahyaoglu used a PTO debit card to spend $12,630 for her personal use, and withdrew $9,046.25 in cash using the card as well.
She allegedly spent the PTO’s money at Auto Zone, Bed Bath & Beyond, Bob’s, Comcast, Hollister Co., Intouch Wireless, Kohls, Lane Bryant, NAMCO, Ocean State Job Lot, Only for Her, Packers Pro Shop, Petland Discounts, Rite Aid, the Sports Authority, Sterling Pools, Team Fan Shop and Yankees Garage.
