LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens — Three people have been arrested for stealing from a charity for students and burning an employee to cover up their crimes, according to the Queens DA’s Office.
Kim Williams, 47, and Pia Louallen, 41, both of the Bronx; and Jerry Mohammed, 32, of Rensselaer County, were indicted for embezzling more than $750,000 embezzled from Hospital Audiences, Inc., then seriously burning the organization’s executive director with caustic liquid to hide their theft.
Williams was working as an accountant for Hospital Audiences, Inc., (now Healing Arts Initiative) a nonprofit organization that provides art programs to students and the less fortunate when she allegedly stole more than $600,000 from the organization between 2012 and 2015, the Queens DA’s Office said.
Williams allegedly gave Louallen, a close friend, $150,000 of the money between 2013 and 2015.
Williams also conspired with Mohammed to assault Hospital Audience’s Executive Director Rev. D. Alexandra Dyer on August 19, 2015, the DA’s Office said.
Mohammed allegedly waited for Dyer to leave work that evening. As Dyer went to her car, Mohammed allegedly threw the caustic liquid on her, causing severe burns on her face other parts of her body. Dyer was hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries as a result of the attack, according to the DA’s Office.
Louallen and Williams will be arraigned in Queens. State Troopers arrested Williams Monday night in New Jersey. She is being held in Camden County awaiting an extradition hearing. All defendants will be arraigned on a 65-count indictment.
Williams is charged with assault, conspiracy, criminal possession of a weapon, grand larceny, identity theft and falsifying business records. She faces up to 25 years in prison. Louallen is charged with grand larceny and conspiracy. She faces up to 15 years in prison. Mohammed is charged with assault, conspiracy and criminal possession of a weapon and faces up to 25 years in prison.
District Attorney Brown said, “In an atmosphere of such giving, it is disheartening to see an individual allegedly use her position of fiduciary trust to siphon off tens of thousands of dollars … more disturbing, perhaps, is … conspiring … to intentionally seriously injure an innocent victim as part of a cover-up.”
