Teacher charged after $1,250 robbery at Atlantic City casino

Amanda Crafts, a 35-year-old computer teacher from Wildwood Crest, was arrested two weeks ago for her role in a robbery that ended with a victim losing $1,250.

Police say the incident began when a man met Crafts and her friend, Veda Engel, 23, at a bar inside an Atlantic City hotel resort. After exchanging phone numbers with Engel, the man followed the two women to their room.

According to the complaint, the victim was stripped and held down on the bed by Crafts. Engel then forced sexual acts on him. Afterward, she stopped and told him, "That’s what you get for $1,250," according to reports.

While Crafts kept the man restrained, Engel used his facial recognition to unlock his phone. She completed four separate Apple Pay transactions that transferred the total sum of $1,250 to her account. A detective noted in the affidavit that the transactions were made without the victim's consent in exchange for the sexual acts.

Crafts appeared via video from the Atlantic County Justice Facility before Judge Timothy Maguire. She told the court she was a teacher with no prior arrests. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said. She also stated she has four children.

The Middle Township school district confirmed on October 19 that the employee had been fired. Superintendent Stephanie DeRose said the district's priority is protecting students and ensuring staff meet expected standards.

Engel, who works for SoFresh SoClean Commercial Cleaning in Ocean City, has a prior record. Last year, she allegedly offered sex to an undercover state police detective at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for $1,000 and was released on a summons. Both women were released from custody on October 15 after being held for nearly a week. They must check in with the court every other week.