A former NYC Department of Education (DOE) employee pleaded guilty on Wednesday to stealing nearly half a million dollars from a Queens school to fund her own private cheerleading company, officials said.
Abi Corbin, a former community associate at the East West School of International Studies, also known as P.S. 281, on Colden Street in Flushing, pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, according to the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District.
She was indicted on the grand larceny charge, in addition to first-degree identity theft, Special Commissioner Anastatia Coleman said.
“There is nothing to cheer about when nearly $415,000 intended for a public school is stolen for personal gain,” Coleman said. “This was an egregious abuse of a position of trust, and this guilty plea makes clear that those who exploit their positions for personal gain will be held accountable.”
According to the SCI investigation, Corbin was in charge of making purchases for the school and processing the orders through its financial management system.
However, from approximately July 2021 through July 2024, investigators said she used the school principal’s login credentials and signature to authorize the purchase orders for a slew of cheerleading equipment and other materials for Queens Campus Cheer — her own private company.
The fraudulent purchases totaled around $415,000.
The scheme started to unravel in July 2024, when boxes of pom-poms and other cheery gear arrived at P.S. 281Q, even though the school had no cheerleading team. The equipment was allegedly headed to Corbin’s private squad, which had no ties to the school or DOE.
Corbin resigned from the school and was first indicted in October 2025. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 13.
“SCI thanks the Queens County District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this matter,” Coleman said.
SCI, a watchdog group for the DOE, said it uncovered nearly 12,000 complaints of fraud, criminal activity, financial misconduct and abuse concerning the education department. Of those, officials said the group initiated 471 investigations, closing 393, and ultimately substantiated wrongdoing in over 150 cases involving hundreds of individuals or entities, including the Corbin case.