Former Middle School Teacher Accused in ‘Trick Roll’ Case at Harrah’s Atlantic City

^{Amanda Crafts (inset), a former New Jersey middle school teacher, appeared in court after the alleged prostitution and robbery incident at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. (Photo: Roman Tiraspolsky / Alamy; Inset: New Jersey Courts)}

Two New Jersey women, including a former middle school teacher, are accused of robbing a man after a prostitution incident at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City. Investigators allege the two women used his phone’s facial recognition feature to transfer $1,250 to one of them via Apple Pay.

Amanda Crafts, 35, and Veda Engel, 23, both face second-degree theft and conspiracy to commit robbery charges stemming from the incident on Oct. 9. Engel also faces a prostitution charge in the case, according to court records.

“For each of those second-degree crimes, the maximum penalties are up to ten years in prison and up to a $150,000 fine,” a judge said during Crafts’ court appearance earlier in the case.

The case has drawn additional scrutiny because Crafts previously worked as a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School. She has recently resigned, and her attorney now says she denies having taken part in the alleged theft.

Affidavit Reveals Details About Sex Act and $1,250 Theft

According to probable-cause affidavits obtained by BreakingAC, the victim told police he met the women at a bar inside Caesars Atlantic City. He exchanged phone numbers with Engel, who later contacted him and invited him to meet her in a hotel room at Harrah’s.

Once in the room, the man told investigators that the women stripped him of his clothes and restrained him to the bed. Engel then performed a sex act on him, according to the affidavit.

The complaint alleges that Engel abruptly stopped and told him, “That’s what you get for $1,250.” Crafts is said to have held the man down while Engel used facial recognition to unlock his phone and made four Apple Pay transfers to her own account. The man confirmed to police that the transactions were made without his consent.

Engel was charged with prostitution in connection with the incident, but this is not the first time she has faced the charge. She previously was hit with a separate prostitution-related charge after allegedly offering a sex act to an undercover New Jersey State Police detective for $1,000 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in December 2025. She was released on a summons in that case and only had to appear in court rather than staying in jail.

Former Teacher’s Attorney Denies Involvement in Robbery

Crafts’ attorney, Charles Peruto Jr., disputes the allegations against his client. In comments reported by BreakingAC, Peruto said he believes his client solely went out to socialize and was “mortified” when she realized what was going on.

“Amanda Crafts is highly intelligent and wouldn’t participate in anything like that,” Peruto said. “She was in the room and wanted to leave … didn’t even realize it was a prostitution thing.”

Peruto also said Crafts voluntarily turned over her phone to investigators to show that she had been browsing online during the encounter and was not involved in restraining the man to the bed. He maintains that she also did not participate in the alleged theft and was unaware of any arrangement involving sex for money.

During a video court appearance from the Atlantic County Justice Facility, Crafts got emotional about the incident and also expressed concern about arranging care for her four children while she was in custody.

“Your Honor, I’ve never been to jail,” Crafts said. “I’ve never been arrested before. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time ... I don’t know who is going to be responsible for getting [the kids] to school for an entire week.”

Prosecutors in the case agreed to pretrial supervision, so both women were released to go home on Oct. 15. They are required to report to court every other week and avoid contact with each other and the alleged victim.

Middle Township Public Schools confirmed in a letter to families and staff on Oct. 19 that Crafts was no longer employed by the district. The letter also said that the allegations did not involve misconduct or inappropriate behavior at school specifically or anything involving students. Crafts’ attorney also later confirmed that Crafts had resigned from her teaching position.

The charges against Crafts and Engel still remain allegations at this time, and neither woman has been convicted in the case. More updates about the case will come as Crafts’ pre-indictment conference approaches on November 18, 2026.

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