New Jersey Teacher Charged in Alleged Casino Robbery

Amanda Crafts, a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School, and Veda Engel are accused of restraining a man in a Harrah’s Atlantic City hotel room and using facial recognition on his phone to transfer $1,250 from his Apple Pay account without authorization. Police and court records say the man had met the women at a casino bar before going to their room; the alleged incident involved sexual activity. Crafts and Engel face theft and conspiracy charges, while Engel also faces a prostitution charge. Both women were released pending trial. The school district confirmed a staff member’s arrest, saying the incident was unrelated to the employee’s job and involved no alleged threat or misconduct at school or involving students; it did not disclose the employee’s status.