Murielle Misczak, a former daycare worker in Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in federal court on Thursday after prosecutors accused her of stealing millions in tuition payments from her employer.
Misczak, 43, initially entered a not guilty plea in March. She has now admitted to taking millions in tuition payments to Kinderhaus, a high priced German language daycare center. She has been ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
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.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella announced the guilty plea with that statement.
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.
WWE Spending and Personal Purchases
Misczak spent hundreds of thousands in stolen tuition payments to take her children to WWE events. A person familiar with the case claimed in March that Misczak had spent at least $350,000 of daycare tuition money on deluxe packages for WWE events for herself and her family. The court has now confirmed that figure.
The mother of three spent over $600,000 total on vacations and entertainment. She also spent hundreds of thousands more on luxury goods, food delivery, and ride sharing services. Her spending drew suspicion from co workers, though she had claimed to be from a wealthy Swiss family. Misczak holds dual citizenship in Switzerland.
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.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle issued that statement as part of the case announcement.
How the Fraud Worked
Misczak was hired by Kinderhaus in 2013 and was promoted to school director in 2020. Prosecutors say her crimes began two years after her promotion, when she began directing parents to issue tuition payments to accounts she controlled before transferring the funds into her personal accounts.
It is not clear when Misczak will be back in court for sentencing. WWE was in no way associated with this case.
