Monkees' Wife Cops Plea In NYC Rent Subsidy Ripoff; Pays 137,000 "Bananas" For "Get Out Of Jail Free Card" After Initially Hit w/ Grand Larceny Charge

In New York City, the New York Post reports:

• Hey, hey, I'm a housing cheat! The wife of Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz was arrested [Thursday] on charges she ripped off an affordable housing program. Investigators said Donna Quinter, 54, had illegally gotten her paws on $136,866 in government rental subsidies aimed at providing affordable housing for the middle class over a five-year period.

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• The deal Quinter had been getting for the two bedroom in the Ruppert Yorkville Towers on the Upper East Side would have flabbergasted even a daydream believer -- she was paying $817 a month for the spacious pad, which had a market value of $3,600 a month. The former flight attendant was able to snag the deal by filing an affidavit in 2001 saying she lived there alone and earned less than $33,120.

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• Quinter was charged with grand larceny, which could have landed her behind bars for 15 years. [...] But Quinter doesn't have to worry about taking the last train to Otisville(1) for a prison stint -- she pleaded guilty yesterday to a reduced charge after turning herself in at the Manhattan District Attorney's office. As part of her no-jail deal, she repaid the entire $136,866, plus a $200 court surcharge, and agreed to do five days of community service.

For the story, see WIFE MAKES MONKEE OUT OF CITY (DOLENZ GAL GUILTY IN RENT $CAM).

(1) Otisville, New York is the home of the fine Federal Correctional Institution - Otisville, as well as the equally fine state prison, Otisville Correctional Facility, both located in Orange County, New York.