Two nabbed in Whitney larceny

Two employees of the Whitney Museum of American Art have been charged with stealing $880,000 over a two-year period by voiding ticket sales and pocketing the cash, Manhattan Dist. Atty. Robert Morgenthau said Thursday.

Naseem Wahlah, 29, the Whitney’s manager of visitor services, handed over a suitcase filled with $800,000 in cash at her Brooklyn home after she was confronted by private investigators hired by the museum, Morgenthau said during a news conference at which he announced the indictment.

The investigation began after the other defendant, Rowan Foley, 24, of Queens, told museum officials he suspected his boss, Wahlah, was stealing, Morgenthau said. An audit found large numbers of voided ticket sales. Three hidden video cameras subsequently recorded both Wahlah and Foley voiding tickets and pocketing cash, the prosecutor said.

Both defendants were charged with third-degree larceny, punishable by a maximum seven-year prison term, and Wahlah was charged also with second-degree larceny, which carries a term of up to 15 years.