A daycare provider accused of misusing grant money intended for a learning center allegedly lived a lavish lifestyle for about half a year, blowing through more than $200,000 on shopping expenses and trips to casinos, as well as buying a vehicle and making a large down payment on a home for her child, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Carmen Santiago, 53, was charged Monday with one felony count of first-degree larceny after turning herself in to investigators, according to Lt. Aaron Boisvert of the Hartford Police Department.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, police began investigating in January after receiving a complaint from a credit union indicating taxpayer funds intended for the Kids Creative Learning Center, LLC were allegedly used for illegitimate purchases. Investigators noted the learning center receives “significant funding” from the Hartford Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation, which distributes money received by the state’s Office of Early Childhood.
Woman accused of misusing grant money intended for a CT daycare for ‘personal use’
In July 2023, Kids Creative received $549,000 in grants that included “narrow stipulations” on how the money could be used, the warrant affidavit said. The memorandum of understanding releasing the funds was allegedly signed by Santiago, according to the warrant affidavit.
During the investigation, Hartford detectives obtained search and seizure warrants for multiple bank accounts associated with Kids Creative Learning Center, the warrant affidavit said. They alleged that Santiago had a debit card associated with the accounts.
While reviewing the bank records, authorities reported finding numerous purchases between September 2023 and April of this year that were illegitimate. These included gambling trips at Foxwoods as well as casinos in Springfield, Massachusetts and Atlantic City, and the purchase of a vehicle, the warrant affidavit said. Authorities also allege that Santiago made a large down payment for a home for her daughter and made payments to several people not associated with the learning center.
According to the warrant affidavit, among the allegedly illegal purchases was a trip to Westfarms Mall in West Hartford in September, when two transactions totaling more than $1,000 were racked up. This was followed by a purchase at Louis Vuitton the following month for nearly $2,000.
Later in October, Santiago allegedly spent $4,000 at Foxwoods and racked up more than $1,200 in purchases at Nike, Under Armour, Coach and a perfume shop, the warrant affidavit said.
In November, she allegedly spent $13,000 at CarMax and spent $8,000 over the course of two days during another Foxwoods trip, according to the warrant affidavit. She also allegedly made a $2,500 cash withdrawal the same month and made a $1,329 mortgage payment, police wrote.
The following month, Santiago allegedly spent another $8,000 during trips to Foxwoods, made a $2,000 cash withdrawal and spent nearly $2,000 at Louis Vuitton and more than $600 on jewelry, the warrant affidavit said.
In January, police allege Santiago visited a casino in Springfield and spent more than $2,000 before following that up with additional trips to Foxwoods later in the month, according to the warrant affidavit. She allegedly made multiple more trips to Foxwoods in February, racking up charges totaling more than $7,500 and spent nearly $2,500 on JetBlue flights later in the month, investigators wrote.
During a four-day trip to Atlantic City in February, police allege Santiago spent more than $7,500, the warrant affidavit said. About a week later, she returned to casinos in Springfield and Connecticut over the course of multiple days and spent more than $1,600, according to the warrant affidavit.
In March, Santiago allegedly made another mortgage payment, withdrew $2,000 and made another trip to a Springfield casino, the warrant affidavit said.
The charges from one account tied to Kids Creative Learning Center totaled just over $161,000, according to the warrant affidavit.
While analyzing a second account tied to the learning center, police found numerous additional purchases at casinos, cash withdrawals, flights, sports bets and a Disney Cruise Line reservation, the warrant affidavit said. The charges to the second account totaled just over $53,000, police wrote.
Santiago is free on $50,000 bond while her case remains pending in Hartford Superior Court. She is scheduled to appear before a judge on Aug. 22.
The Kids Creative Learning Center has not responded to requests for comment.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, commenting on the arrest, not the arrest warrant, said that, after learning of the matter from local and state authorities, the city “immediately took the appropriate steps to notify families and end financial support for the center.”
“My administration is committed to strong systems of oversight and accountability for the non-profits we rely upon in Hartford, ensuring they meet critical standards for the caliber of service being delivered and abiding by clear controls on the use of public dollars,” Arulampalam said in a prepared statement. “City officials will continue to work with law enforcement on this matter to hold all parties accountable for any improper use of city funding, while also maintaining access to proven high quality early childhood education and programming for Hartford’s children.”
Arulampalam said the state Department of Families, Children & Youth is available to support Hartford families, as needed. For assistance in finding childcare arrangements, DFCY is reachable at (860) 757-9595 or HartfordEarlyLearning.com, he said.
