Rhode Island Woman Charged With Stealing Funds from Auto Dealer

A 45-year-old Rhode Island woman has been charged with forging business checks and stealing as much as $400,000 from a Cranston, R.I., auto dealership where she worked.

Federal prosecutors say Michelle Saritelli of South Kingston is charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She has pleaded not guilty.

Her lawyer, Olin Thompson, tells The Providence Journal that she’s innocent and “looks forward to that coming out in court.”

Prosecutors say Saritelli was an office manager and bookkeeper at the Stamas Auto and Truck Center.

Saritelli is accused of depositing non-payroll checks into her personal bank accounts, providing fraudulent checks to her husband and stealing portions of cash payments made by customers, among other things.

Prosecutors say bank ledgers missing from the business were found in Saritelli’s home.