Atlantic City Teacher Arrested for Alleged Sexual Assault and Apple Pay Theft

The Atlantic City casino floor hides more than just slot machines. It also harbors predatory schemes that strip victims of their dignity and their wallets. A New Jersey teacher, Amanda Crafts, 35, of Wildwood Crest, was arrested two weeks ago for her alleged role in one such trap. Her co-accused, Veda Engel, 23, of Cape May, faces similar charges from the Oct. 9 incident.

The victim met the pair at a hotel resort bar in Atlantic City. After swapping phone numbers with Engel, he followed them to their room. What happened next was brutal. According to police reports, the women stripped him and physically pinned him to the bed. Engel forced sexual acts upon him. Then she stopped and delivered a chilling line: "That’s what you get for $1,250."

While Crafts held the victim down, Engel used his own facial recognition to unlock his phone. She executed four separate Apple Pay transactions totaling $1,250 into her account. A detective noted in the affidavit that these transfers occurred "without his consent in exchange for sexual acts."

Crafts claimed innocence during her first court appearance. Speaking via video from the Atlantic County Justice Facility, she told Judge Timothy Maguire, "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time." She emphasized her status as a teacher with no prior arrests. Crafts, who has four children, works in the special area department at Middle Township Middle School teaching computers. Her LinkedIn profile confirms this role.

The school district did not wait long to act. On Oct. 19, they confirmed the employee’s termination. Superintendent Stephanie DeRose stated that protecting students is their core responsibility. She added that anyone entrusted with educating children must meet strict standards. "The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority," DeRose said.

Engel’s record tells a different story. She has a history of prostitution-related charges. Last year, she allegedly offered an undercover New Jersey State Police detective sex for $1,000 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. She was released on a summons then. Currently, Engel works for SoFresh SoClean Commercial Cleaning in Ocean City.

Both women were released on Oct. 15 after nearly a week in custody. The state agreed to their pretrial release with conditions. They must check in with the court every other week. The community is left asking how a trusted educator became entangled in such a predatory operation. The answer remains murky, but the financial damage to the victim is clear.