New Jersey Teacher Arrested in Alleged $1,250 Casino Robbery

A middle school teacher from New Jersey has been fired after being accused of helping steal $1,250 from a man during a sexual encounter at an Atlantic City casino hotel. Amanda Crafts, 35, denies involvement in the alleged robbery, and her attorney said she was unaware of any arrangement involving paid sexual services. NJ Teacher Accused of Restraining Man During Alleged Casino Hotel Theft Crafts and Veda Engel, 23, were arrested October 9 in connection with an incident at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. The man met the two women at Caesars Atlantic City, and later that night went to a hotel room with them, a criminal complaint says. The unidentified man told investigators he exchanged contact information with Engel after meeting her at Caesars property. She invited him to join her and Crafts in a room at Harrah’s, according to reports from the New York Post. The complaint says the encounter turned into a robbery after the man was undressed. Crafts allegedly restrained the man on the bed so that he could not move freely, and began a sexual act. Investigators said Engel then used the man’s iPhone and its facial recognition technology to access his payment services. Crafts continued to pin him down as she allegedly made four Apple Pay transfers totaling $1,250 to her own account. The man is said to have called police after the encounter ended. The complaint alleges that Engel indicated that what he had paid was all he was going to get before the encounter was over. Both women are charged with the alleged incident. Crafts is charged with theft and conspiracy to commit robbery, while Engel also faces a charge of prostitution. NJ Teacher Rejects Plea Deal as Defense Challenges Robbery Allegations Craft’s attorney Charles Peruto Jr. has denied that his client helped hold the man down or took part in taking his money. He says she met Engel and the complainant that night and thought they were going to a hotel room to continue partying. Peruto also said Crafts knew nothing about any alleged commercial sex arrangement. He said she was not involved in the alleged theft and plans to fight the allegations in court. At an earlier hearing, Crafts told a judge she had never been arrested before and thought she had just been caught up in a bad situation. Her lawyer has also said she intends to fight the charges instead of entering a plea deal. The two defendants were released on October 15 on pretrial supervision. They reportedly must check in with the court regularly and are prohibited from contacting each other or the alleged victim. Engel is also facing a separate prostitution case involving an alleged encounter with an undercover New Jersey State Police detective at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in December 2025. Crafts has been a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School in Cape May County, New Jersey, since 2016. On October 19, the school district informed parents and staff that she no longer worked there.