25.10.2026 09:50
Amanda Crafts (35), a teacher in the US state of New Jersey, was detained on allegations of robbery and prostitution in a hotel room. It was alleged that Crafts, while keeping a man immobile, had her accomplice unlock his phone using facial recognition and stole $1,250 from his account. The teacher, who denied the accusations and was released 6 days later, lost her job after the incident.
Amanda Crafts, a 35-year-old middle school teacher in the US state of New Jersey, was taken into custody over allegations of prostitution and robbery in a hotel room. In the incident, in which $1,250 was allegedly stolen from a man using facial recognition, the teacher was accused of holding the victim still. Crafts, who denied the charges and argued that she was there only to have fun, lost her job at the school where she taught after the incident.
THEY INVITED THE MAN THEY MET AT THE HOTEL TO THEIR ROOM
The incident occurred on October 9 in Atlantic City, USA. According to the allegation, Amanda Crafts (35), who works as a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School, and Veda Engel (23) met a man at the bar of the Caesars Atlantic City hotel.
Engel later called the man whose phone number she had gotten and invited him to a hotel room at Harrah's Resort.
According to the complaint filed with the police, the man who went to the room was the victim of an incident there involving the two women.
THEY TOOK HIS $1,250 USING FACIAL RECOGNITION
According to the complainant's account, a sexual encounter occurred between Engel and him in the hotel room. The man, who alleged that teacher Amanda Crafts held him still during this, stated that his phone was held up to his face.
According to the allegation, Engel unlocked the device using the phone's facial recognition feature and accessed the Apple Pay account.
Then, a total of $1,250 was transferred to her own account in four separate transactions.
After the man, who said he was a victim, applied to the police, an investigation was launched into the incident.
THE TEACHER DENIED THE CHARGES
Amanda Crafts, who faces charges of cooperating for the purpose of theft and robbery, did not accept the allegations against her.
The mother of four, when she appeared before a judge on October 10, stated that she had never been taken into custody before and argued that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Crafts's lawyer Charles Peruto Jr. said that his client was unaware of any robbery plan.
"SHE WAS ONLY THERE TO HAVE FUN"
Lawyer Peruto stated that Crafts met the other woman and the complainant man the same night and expressed that the purpose of going to the hotel room was only to continue having fun.
Arguing that his client was unaware of any arrangement connected to prostitution, Peruto also denied the allegation that the teacher held the person claiming to be the victim still.
The lawyer claimed that Crafts was greatly ashamed of what happened and did not engage in any criminal activity.
THE OTHER WOMAN'S PAST ALSO CAME TO LIGHT
It was learned that 23-year-old Veda Engel, whose name was mentioned in the incident, had previously also faced a charge connected to prostitution.
It was stated that in December 2025, proceedings were initiated against Engel over the allegation that she offered an undercover police officer sex for money at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City.
In the latest incident, Engel was also charged with prostitution in addition to robbery and cooperating for the purpose of robbery.
THEY WERE DETAINED FOR 6 DAYS
Amanda Crafts and Veda Engel were held for 6 days at the correctional facility in Atlantic County after the incident.
The two women were released on October 15. However, the charges against them were not dropped, and the judicial process continues.
SHE LEFT THE SCHOOL WHERE SHE TAUGHT
It was reported that Amanda Crafts, who had been working as a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School since 2016, was dismissed from her job after the incident.
In an information letter sent to parents and staff on October 19, the school administration announced that Crafts no longer worked within the school.
School District Superintendent Stephanie DeRose emphasized that the safety and well-being of students were their priority.
Authorities also explained that the charges against the teacher did not stem from any incident at the school or connected to students.
While the legal process regarding Crafts and Engel continues, there is not yet a finalized court ruling regarding the charges.