NJ Teacher Loses Job After Co-Conspirators Use Apple Pay to Steal $1,250 From Hotel Victim
Amanda Crafts, a computer teacher in New Jersey, was terminated two weeks after her arrest in a scheme that left a victim restrained and drained of cash.
By Yasmin Duda ·
A $1,250 robbery at an Atlantic City hotel room ended in the termination of a local middle school teacher. Amanda Crafts, 35, of Wildwood Crest, was arrested on Oct. 9 in connection with the incident. She worked in the special area department at Middle Township Middle School, where she taught computers.
The victim met Crafts and her friend, Veda Engel, 23, at a bar within the hotel resort. After exchanging phone numbers with Engel, the man entered their room. Inside, the two women stripped him and physically held him to the bed, according to police reports.
Engel forced sexual acts on the victim before announcing, "That’s what you get for $1,250," a detective wrote in the affidavits. While Crafts held the man down, Engel used his facial recognition to unlock his phone. She then executed four Apple Pay transactions totaling $1,250 to her own account. The detective noted these transfers were made without the victim's consent in exchange for the sexual acts.
Crafts told Judge Timothy Maguire during a video appearance from the Atlantic County Justice Facility that she was a teacher with no prior arrests. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said. She also disclosed that she has four children. Her co-defendant, Engel, works at a commercial cleaning company in Ocean City.
The Middle Township school district confirmed the firing in a statement released on Oct. 19. Superintendent Stephanie DeRose said, "Our responsibility is to protect our students, follow appropriate procedures, and ensure that those entrusted with caring for and educating our children meet the standards expected of them. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority."
Engel has a history of prostitution-related charges. Last December, she allegedly offered an undercover state police detective sex for $1,000 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. She was released on a summons for that incident. Both women were held for nearly a week following their October arrest. They were released on Oct. 15 with the state's consent. Their pretrial release requires them to check in with the court every other week.
Source: Fox News
