Rye Bakery Employee Admits Stealing $105K From Employer

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (January 16, 2026) — A former employee of The Snackery Bake Shop in Rye pleaded guilty to grand larceny after stealing more than $100,000 from the bakery, Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced.

Paul DiPietro, 39, of White Plains, entered the plea Thursday in Westchester County Court to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony. Judge George Fufidio scheduled sentencing for April 9.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our county’s economy, and they often have the fewest resources to defend themselves against fraudulent conduct,” Cacace said. “That Mr. DiPietro targeted his then-employer, a beloved bake shop in the Rye community, for his misdeeds is deeply troubling. We are working to ensure the victim in this case is made whole, as we do for all victims of economic crimes.”

Between 2021 and 2022, DiPietro stole $105,379 from The Snackery Bake Shop by adding unauthorized salary increases to his biweekly paychecks, making unauthorized personal charges on the bakery’s credit card and using company funds to pay his personal American Express bill.

The guilty plea comes shortly after The Snackery Bake Shop, located at 64 Purchase St., announced it would close after nearly eight years in business. Owner Sara Leand, a former television executive who left Hollywood to pursue baking, founded the business as Sara Snacker Cookie Company before opening a brick-and-mortar location in 2018. It later rebranded as The Snackery and became known for custom cookies and specialty desserts throughout Westchester. The current shop opened in October 2021 following a temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Rye Police Department conducted the investigation. Senior Assistant District Attorney Emily Rowe-Smith of the Economic Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case, with assistance from Forensic Accountant Michael Frenza.

Paul DiPietro has a documented history of employment-related controversies and criminal allegations tied to his previous role at Cherry Lawn Farms (also known as Cherry Lawn Farmers Market) in New Rochelle.

In July 2020, Cherry Lawn Farmers Market, a business operating for 80 years at 815 Weaver Street in New Rochelle, suspended DiPietro, described as a long-time employee and store manager, pending an investigation. The suspension followed a customer complaint to owner Armando D’Onofrio about “transphobic, racist and hateful comments” DiPietro posted on his personal Instagram account (@pauliedips, later made private). Cherry Lawn’s Instagram statement said: “This unacceptable behavior does not at all parallel Cherry Lawn’s core values,” and “The insensitive posts do not reflect the ownership’s beliefs.” Specific allegations referenced posts including racist and transphobic messages on his Instagram story, mentions of protests, statements about possessing guns and “crazy weapons” for such occasions, and content related to then-St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson with a photo of Michelle Obama labeled in connection to “black trans lives matter”. NOTE: Krewson is married to the author’s uncle.

Several Yelp reviews over the years had previously complained about DiPietro’s conservative politics.

In August 2020, DiPietro, then 33 and of White Plains, was arrested by New Rochelle Police on August 20 and charged with Burglary in the Third Degree. Police responded to Cherry Lawn Farms on July 22, 2020, regarding a past burglary. Surveillance footage showed DiPietro entering the closed premises on July 17, 2020, at 12:25 a.m. and removing about $500 from the register. He had been suspended earlier on July 2, 2020. DiPietro was arraigned in New Rochelle City Court by Judge Jared Rice, released on his own recognizance, and ordered to stay away from D’Onofrio and Cherry Lawn Farms, surrender any keys, and turn over all firearms to police by 5 p.m. that day.

DiPietro and D’Onofrio were named in a federal lawsuit, Cano v. Cherry Lawn Farms, Inc. (7:19-cv-09469, filed October 14, 2019, in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York). The suit alleged discrimination against a Hispanic employee (plaintiff Cano), including claims that DiPietro made disparaging remarks such as: “Are you a drug addict, because you are Colombian, and all Colombians are drug addicts”; “All Colombians are drug addicts”; “Our president will clean out all you pests” (referring to Hispanics); calling Hispanics “animals,” “garbage,” “rats,” and “fucking shit”; prohibiting speaking Spanish; and denying workers’ compensation to Hispanics. The suit also included wage claims against the business.

RELATED

Rye Police: Rye Bakery Looted of $100,000 by Former Cherry Lawn Manager (8/11/2023)

Former Cherry Lawn Farms Manager Suspended in June for “Transphobic, Racist Hate Speech” Now Facing Burglary Charges (8/27/2020)

New Rochelle Farmers Market Suspends Manager over Transphobic, Racist Hate Speech (7/4/2020)

This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.