Accountant pleads guilty in 2015 Queens acid attack, part of embezzlement cover-up
LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens (WABC) -- A Bronx accountant has pleaded guilty to an acid attack intended to conceal the embezzlement of $750,000 from a nonprofit in Long Island City, Queens.
Authorities say 49-year-old Kim Williams faces 17 years behind bars after pleading guilty Monday to first-degree assault. Her accomplice, 35-year-old Jerry Mohammed, also pleaded guilty and faces the same sentence.
Prosecutors say Williams swindled $600,000 from the nonprofit and gave another $150,000 in stolen funds to a close friend.
They say she enlisted Mohammed to attack the nonprofit's director in 2015 to prevent her from investigating the embezzlement. Mohammed admitted throwing a caustic substance at the woman.
"In pleading guilty, the former employee now admits to stealing from an organization that used its funds to help those in need," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. "The two defendants together plotted to take grave steps to conceal this crime. The duo jointly conspired to inflict bodily harm to an innocent woman, the organization's director, who was looking into the missing funds."
Prosecutors say the victim suffered disfigurement to her face and body and had to undergo extensive surgeries due to the burns.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
