Miramar woman accused of misappropriating $12K from parent teacher organization

A Miramar woman who served as the treasurer of the parent teacher organization of a Hollywood elementary school is accused of draining $12,000 from the fund.

Alyssa Hernandez, 47, is charged with third-degree grand theft over $10,000 but under $20,000, Broward court records show. She’s pleaded not guilty.

“Ms. Hernandez is, has always been, and always will be an upstanding member of the community,” her attorney, Randall Haas, told the Miramar News on July 9.

“This case will be sorted out in the courts; however, I am optimistic that the truth will prevail and Ms. Hernandez will be vindicated of any wrongdoing.”

Her arrest is the culmination of a 10-month investigation into missing funds from Driftwood Elementary School’s PTO, according to a probable cause affidavit.

In September, the principal told the school resource officer that after reviewing the PTO funds managed by Hernandez, the treasurer for the last five years, they believed money was missing.

One person told police Hernandez “repeatedly stated that the PTO account had minimal funds and that certain events, such as teacher appreciation, could not be held,” the arrest report says.

The school had been able to host those events in the past with fewer fundraisers to support them, so Hernandez’s statements raised a flag, the person told police.

Hernandez reportedly turned over a spreadsheet with expenses and funds received, as well as bank statements, but school staff said they didn’t line up and that several fundraisers had generated more money for the PTO than what Hernandez documented in the spreadsheet, according to the affidavit.

Detectives said they reviewed the bank statements and saw transactions on Hernandez’s debit card, connected to the account, that didn’t appear to be for school purposes.

Police noted multiple DoorDash deliveries were sent to Hernandez’s home in Miramar, and Amazon purchases included Levi’s jeans and a women’s electric shaver.

Investigators also said they discovered that the bank statements Hernandez shared didn’t match up with the original version from the bank, indicating she had removed some transactions.

When police interviewed Hernandez, she told them when she accepted the treasurer position, she wasn’t fully aware of what it entailed, adding she was never formally trained.

She told police she sometimes had to use her own discretion to make purchases, so they weren’t all authorized by the board or principal. As for the food deliveries, she said she had used DoorDash to order food for volunteers but said it was all delivered to the school, according to the report.

She also said several Amazon items were for her to sell at the school store for profit, then she would deposit the money into the PTO account, police wrote in the affidavit. She also reportedly said she purchased some Bath & Body Works items as gifts for front office staff, while other items were for the PTO room.

Police determined the total amount Hernandez is accused of misappropriating to be $12,861.85. Records show she was arrested at her home and has since bonded out of Broward jail.