The Rhode Island State Police have charged a Department of Administration employee with felony embezzlement for allegedly stealing cash from the agency.

The police said an investigation revealed that longtime state employee Patricia Pirolli, 59, of 15 Hill St., North Providence, on several occasions over the past year took unspecified amounts of money that had been collected as registration fees and fines by the department’s Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board.

In her role as chief implementation aide in the Division of Capital Projects and Property Management, Pirolli was responsible for processing the checks, cash and accompanying vouchers after they were collected by clerks.

The state police said once the money and paperwork were turned over to Pirolli she would remove the cash and alter the vouchers to reflect only check payments received for deposit.

“Pirolli’s actions appear to have been sporadic over the past year and also included altering dates when checks were deposited to cover for cash skimming,” state police Lt. Brian K. Casilli said in a statement.

The state police said they have not yet determined how much money Pirolli allegedly took, and are not revealing how they learned of her alleged wrongdoing.

They said they do not believe she acted in concert with any other employee.

Pirolli, a 24-year veteran of state government, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Jeff Neal, Governor Carcieri’s spokesman.

She has served in her position at the DOA for about four years.

Neal could not provide further details about her prior employment with the state, saying a computer system needed to access that information was unavailable.

Salary information provided to The Providence Journal last summer by the Department of Administration shows that Pirolli was making $61,936 at that time.

Following her arrest Wednesday on a single count of embezzlement, Pirolli was arraigned before a bail commissioner at state police headquarters and released on $5,000 personal recognizance. She is due back in court May 14.

The attorney general’s spokesman, Michael J. Healey, said yesterday that prosecutors were not involved in the initial stages of the investigation.

“When the Rhode Island State Police refers the case to us, our white-collar crime unit people will take a look at it and determine whether [felony embezzlement] is the right charge to bring at the Superior Court level,” Healey said.

cneedham@projo.com