What Happened
A Brooklyn woman has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than $11,000 from her former employer, a well-known Melville ice cream shop, by forging and depositing business checks into her personal bank account, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
Police identified the suspect as Leeanna Luke, a resident of Brooklyn. The business targeted was Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices, located at 1 Schwab Road in Melville, Suffolk County. The arrest was made on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
According to the Suffolk County Police Department, the case came to light when the owner of Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices noticed multiple unauthorized transactions on his business bank account. The transactions involved checks made payable to Luke, a former employee of the establishment. Alerted to the suspicious activity, the owner reported the discrepancies, triggering a formal investigation.
Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Financial Crime Unit took over the case and conducted an investigation that confirmed Luke had forged and deposited 15 separate checks into her personal account. The total amount stolen across those 15 transactions exceeded $11,000. The scheme involved checks drawn on the business owner’s account that were made out to Luke without his authorization.
No details about Luke’s specific role or tenure at Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices were released by police, nor was a precise timeframe given for when the alleged thefts occurred. Police have not yet confirmed whether any additional suspects or co-conspirators are being sought in connection with the case.
Location & Road Context
Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices at 1 Schwab Road is situated in the Melville hamlet of Suffolk County, a busy commercial corridor on Long Island. Melville is home to numerous businesses and corporate offices clustered along its main thoroughfares, making employee financial crime an ongoing concern for local business owners. The Suffolk County area has seen a range of financial and fraud-related incidents in recent weeks — including a case on August 12 in which detectives interrupted a man from purchasing gold as part of an internet scam — underscoring that financial crime investigations have remained active across the county.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The investigation was conducted by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Financial Crime Unit, a specialized squad that handles cases involving fraud, forgery, and theft by deception. Per the Suffolk County Police Department’s press release, detectives built the case around the 15 forged checks, which provided a documented paper trail linking Luke directly to the unauthorized deposits.
Charges, arraignment details, and bail conditions had not been publicly disclosed in the initial press release. Under New York Penal Law, forging a business instrument and stealing more than $3,000 from an employer can constitute grand larceny in the second degree, a class C felony, though the specific charges filed against Luke have not yet been confirmed by prosecutors. Anyone with additional information related to the case is encouraged to contact Suffolk County Police.
Broader Impact
Employee check fraud is among the most common forms of workplace financial crime investigated by Suffolk County’s Financial Crime Unit. Businesses that rely on paper checks — particularly small, owner-operated establishments like independent food vendors — can be especially vulnerable when internal account oversight is limited. The Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices case is a reminder that even trusted former employees can exploit access to business accounts, and that routine bank statement reviews remain one of the most effective early-detection tools available to small business owners.