Clerk Charged With Swiping $1M From NY Archdiocese

An Archdiocese of New York clerk with a record of theft has been charged with manipulating the church's accounts payable system to steal more than $1 million in education money.

Anita Collins was being held on $750,000 bond after an arraignment Monday on grand larceny and other charges. Her lawyer says he may seek lower bail later.

The Manhattan district attorney's office says Collins wrote checks to one of her sons and deposited them in her accounts but recorded them as payments to legitimate vendors.

Prosecutors say Collins has two prior convictions on charges of stealing from employers.

The archdiocese says pre-employment background checks for all workers began shortly after Collins was hired in 2003. She was fired in December.

The New York Times first reported Collins' arrest.