A Brooklyn daycare director admitted in federal court to a multi-year scheme that siphoned more than $2.75 million in tuition funds and used the money for personal travel, entertainment, and luxury purchases.
In federal court in Brooklyn, 43-year-old Murielle Misczak pleaded guilty to wire fraud after prosecutors say she diverted tuition payments from the daycare where she worked. Authorities say the theft stretched over several years and involved a complicated pattern of rerouting funds into accounts she controlled.
When she is sentenced, Misczak faces up to 20 years in prison and restitution totaling $2,805,871. The guilty plea was announced by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.
“The defendant took advantage of her access to bank accounts for the Daycare to steal millions in tuition payments in order to line her own pockets and fund trips to World Wrestling Entertainment events among other personal expenses,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute individuals like the defendant who abuse positions of trust and seek to enrich themselves at the expense of services for children.”
Court documents show Misczak joined the daycare in 2013 as a Program Coordinator and was promoted to Director in 2020. From January 2022 through October 2025, she allegedly directed tuition payments to accounts she controlled and then transferred the money into her own accounts, siphoning more than $2.75 million meant for the center.
Investigators say she concealed the scheme by deleting and altering entries in the daycare’s accounting systems to cover the missing money. Federal filings allege Misczak spent over $600,000 of the stolen funds on travel and entertainment, including more than $350,000 on tickets to professional wrestling events.
Beyond wrestling tickets, prosecutors say she spent hundreds of thousands on luxury goods and routine personal expenses like food delivery and ride sharing services. The pattern in the filings paints a picture of repeated diversion of operating funds to fuel a personal lifestyle rather than organizational needs.
The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. “Murielle Misczak’s selfish greed deprived a local daycare of nearly three million dollars in critical funding intended for services to support the development and care of our communities’ children. The FBI continues to pull back the curtain on fraudsters seeking to steal from innocent New Yorkers, regardless of their cover up attempts,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
The government’s prosecution falls to the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon C. Jones and Sophia M. Suarez are leading the case, assisted by Paralegal Specialist Melina Piatti-Chayan.
https://x.com/EDNYnews/status/2065117225762115614
