Hope Livingston, ex-Sag Harbor PTA official, pleads guilty to stealing $10,000 from group, DA says

A former vice president of the Sag Harbor Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association must pay restitution to the organization after robbing it of more than $10,000, according to the Suffolk district attorney.

Hope Livingston, 50, pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny on Tuesday before acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft Jr. in Riverhead, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced in a news release.

Livingston served the PTA as co-treasurer from July 2021 to June 2022, then as vice-president from July 2022 through June 2024, according to the release. Her position offered her access to the association’s bank debit card, which she used for personal purchases.

On several occasions, she also "withdrew and stole sums of cash directly from the PTA bank account," Tierney’s office said. She used the card and cash for purchases at Costco, Lululemon and other businesses in the Town of Sag Harbor. She also shopped with the stolen funds on Amazon.

The PTA discovered Livingston’s activity in September 2024, when "the PTA bank account was turned over to new PTA board members," the release said.

In a statement, Tierney described Livingston’s actions as "corruption."

"Stealing from a school’s PTA is not just a crime, it is a betrayal of our children and community," Tierney said.

Livingston surrendered to the district attorney's office on March 3 for arraignment, Newsday previously reported. After pleading guilty on Tuesday, she is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 6 and is expected to be sentenced to 5 years' probation, Tierney said. The court also will order her to pay $14,487 in restitution to the elementary school’s PTA.

Edward D. Burke, Jr., Livingston’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment late Tuesday.