The guilty plea was entered before United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. When sentenced, Misczak faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, in addition to being ordered to pay restitution totaling $2,805,871.
Misczak was hired by the Daycare in 2013 as Program Coordinator and was later promoted to Director in 2020. The fraudulent activities spanned from January 2022 through October 2025. During this period, Misczak systematically diverted over $2.75 million in tuition payments by directing them to be paid into accounts she controlled. These funds were then transferred into her personal accounts. To conceal her theft from the Daycare, Misczak deleted and altered information in the Daycare’s accounting systems.
Misczak spent over $600,000 in stolen funds on travel and entertainment. This included over $350,000 specifically on tickets to professional wrestling events, such as WWE shows. Beyond wrestling events, hundreds of thousands of dollars were also spent on luxury goods and various personal expenses like food delivery and ride-sharing services.
Official Statements on the Guilty Plea
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.
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. 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.
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.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon C. Jones and Sophia M. Suarez are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Melina Piatti-Chayan. The E.D.N.Y. Docket No. for the case is 26-CR-65 (NGG).
