Quoted Text

Police say woman
stole from account
    ROTTERDAM — State police arrested a Rotterdam woman on grand larceny and falsifying business records charges after she allegedly pilfered $55,700 from a family member’s out-of-state Ameritrade account.
    Shirley J. Gratz, 45, was charged with seven felony counts of falsifying business records and one count of grand larceny.
    She was arraigned in Duanesburg Town Court Monday and sent to Schenectady County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond.
    Vermont authorities alerted state police investigators of missing funds from the account in December 2009.
    Troopers and the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office were able to identify seven unauthorized transactions on the account and were able to track down the missing funds, according to police.
    Police believe Gratz, one of the beneficiaries of the account, cashed in stocks without authorization over a period of several months. She then had money wired to her bank, according to investigators.
    Gratz was arrested at her apartment in Rotterdam Monday.