Skip to main content

Va. couple sentenced in embezzlement from DC’s Delta Sigma Theta

A Purcellville, Virginia, couple has been sentenced to prison after having admitted to embezzling nearly a quarter-million dollars from a service sorority.

Jeanine Henderson Arnett, 44, and her husband, Diallo Arnett, 47, were sentenced Tuesday after having pleaded guilty to bank fraud in April. She was sentenced to 16 months; he was sentenced to a year and a day. They also have to pay restitution.

Henderson Arnett was the executive director of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a more than century-old service sorority that partners with organizations to address food insecurity, domestic violence, educational needs and more. Delta Sigma Theta terminated her in 2019, and found out about the embezzlement a month later.

Court documents say she used Delta Sigma Theta money for personal items and expenses between 2017 and 2019, as well as transferring more than $14,000 to their own account.

“While Delta Sigma Theta and its members were committed to a mission of public service, the defendants were committed to a mission of personal benefit, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars to use for their own pleasure,” acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips said when the two pleaded guilty in April.

Virginia high schoolers launch nonprofit to address education disparities created by pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many students falling behind in school. One nonprofit started by two high schoolers in Ashburn, Virginia, is working to close that gap. Abhishek Krishnan is a senior at Rock Ridge High School in Loudoun County, but he and his friend, Jeet Metu, are also the founders of Immunize for Immunity.
Read Next Story