Brooklyn Preschool Director Pleads Guilty to $2.8 Million Theft
(Bloomberg) -- The former director of a private preschool in Brooklynâs Park Slope neighborhood pleaded guilty to stealing more than $2.75 million in tuition payments
(Bloomberg) -- The former director of a private preschool in Brooklynâs Park Slope neighborhood pleaded guilty to stealing more than $2.75 million in tuition payments that she spent on luxury goods, first-class travel and, most notably, tickets to professional wrestling events. Murielle Misczak, 43, a Swiss national, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, Brooklyn US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement on Thursday. She was charged in March and remains free on bail while she awaits sentencing at a later date.
âMy client today pleaded guilty and sheâs accepting responsibility for what sheâs done,â defense lawyer lawyer Lowell Sidney, who has described Misczak as a single mother of three, said in a phone call. Prosecutors didnât identify the preschool, but Misczak was previously the director of KinderHaus, which offers German-immersion programs and charges tuition of as much as $4,450 a month, according to its website. KinderHaus sued Misczak last year over the alleged theft. Misczak âtook advantage of her access to bank accounts for the daycare to steal millions in tuition payments in order to line her own pockets and fund trips to World Wrestling Entertainment events among other personal expenses,â Nocella said in a statement, adding that Misczak faces restitution of $2.8 million.
In its lawsuit, the school said Misczak was hired in 2013 and earned a salary of $40,000 in 2025. Despite her modest income, Misczak began documenting lavish spending on social media, with posts showing her enjoying âplush resortsâ and first-class travel, KinderHaus said. Misczak indulged a particular interest in professional wrestling, spending more than $350,000 on tickets to wrestling events, according to prosecutors. They claim she spent another $150,000 on ride-shares, $150,000 on food deliveries and hundreds of thousands of dollars more on luxury goods.
Prosecutors said Misczak hid her theft by deleting and altering information in the preschoolâs accounting systems. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
