Bethlehem Police Department arrested a Clifton Park woman on Tuesday, March 4, who was allegedly involved in an embezzlement scheme.
Police said Hillary A. Downey, 35, of Solomon Avenue in Clifton Park was arrested after Bethlehem detectives began an investigation into missing funds at Secure Solutions LLC. at 316 Delaware Ave. in Delmar. Business owners reported that in excess of $70,000 was missing from accounts through fraudulent payroll records. An investigation determined that Downey, the account manager at the office, was depositing the money into her personal account between October of 2013 and February of 2014.
During the investigation, it was also determined that Downey allegedly offered the business $10,000 to withhold information from the office of the District Attorney and to not initiate a prosecution against her in this case. Downey was charged with grand larceny in the second degree, a class C felony, as well as misdemeanor counts of compounding a crime and criminal tax fraud in the fifth degree.
Downey was arraigned in Bethlehem Town Court by Judge Ryan Donovan and remanded to the Albany County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail. Downey is scheduled to return to Bethlehem Town Court on Monday, March 10, at 9 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.