PTA president allegedly stole $40K from NYC elementary school, blew it on Amazon and vet bills

The PTA president at a Queens elementary school allegedly pilfered at least $40,000 intended for kids’ programs and spent it on vet bills, Amazon purchases and Uber Eats, The Post has learned.

Athena Gonzalez resigned on Sept. 27 after other PTA members at PS 166 in Astoria accused her of stealing the cash, the interim president announced at a meeting on Oct. 7.

The group’s secretary uncovered the missing money amid fraudulent bank activity, PTA members were first told during an emergency meeting on Sept. 27.

A copy of a $10,000 check, written out to cash, was placed on the table — but nobody fessed up to writing it, according to sources. Another check was allegedly written out to Gonzalez, the PTA announced at its October meeting.

Working together, members followed the paper trail and allegedly found Gonzalez spent the bulk of the cash over the summer, charging them to the PTA credit card, according to sources.

Gonzalez was elected PTA president in June 2023.

PTA members tracked the charges to Gonzalez’ vet, and say she has been posting on social media about recent vacations and her new car.

They reported their findings to the Astoria school’s principal and the NYPD.

In June the PTA had a balance of $64,817. In September, it was down to $12,564, according to the treasurer’s report presented at the last meeting.

The PTA told police unauthorized transactions were made on the group’s business account from Dec. 11 2023 to Sept. 23 of this year, an NYPD spokesperson said. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

“We stand by our current PTA members and understand this horrible situation was the actions of one person,” PS 166 Principal Jessica Geller told attendees at the October meeting, according to the minutes.

The PTA’s acting treasurer, Claudia Henriquez, also resigned on Thursday. Special elections will be held on Nov. 4, the PTA announced on Facebook.

The parent group for the dual-language, gifted and talented school reported more than $92,000 in revenue in 2023.

Now the PTA’s bank accounts are frozen, and upcoming events for kids like the group’s popular pasta nights have been canceled.

In-school enrichment programs including chess, yoga, theater and ballroom dancing — a big draw for many families at the school — are also at risk.

The PTA sponsors the programming, which is provided by NYC vendors and can cost around $10,000 each. Payments for fall programs were made in advance but come spring, the PTA may not be able to cover it, parents fear.

“It’s just really fun and the kids love these classes — it’s part of why people have their kids at the school,” said one.

Also depleted was the parent group’s Equitable School Supplies fund. The PTA collects $45 from families and then goes out to buy school supplies in bulk to save them time and money. Families can also give extra to help cover students in need.

“Everybody wants justice,” one parent said at a recent meeting.

The DOE and Gonzalez did not respond to inquiries.