Two employees of the Whitney Museum of American Art were arrested yesterday on charges of stealing nearly $900,000 in ticket proceeds from the museum.

Naseem Wahlah, manager of visitor services, stole $850,000, and Rowan Foley, unit supervisor, stole $30,000, District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said. The defendants are accused of voiding hundreds of ticket sales and pocketing the cash over a 2 1/2-year period, ending this month.

The investigation began after Mr. Foley, 24, of 31-80 43rd St., Queens, told the museum’s controller and human resources manager he suspected his boss, Mrs. Wahlah, 29, 462 Greene Ave, Brooklyn, of stealing, the district attorney said.

“Of course he didn’t tell them that he was stealing also,” Mr. Morgenthau said.

The museum receives up to 1,000 visitors daily, generating up to $20,000 in ticket sales. After a museum audit revealed a “large number” of voided ticket sales, the museum hired Safir Rosetti, a private security firm, to place hidden cameras at ticket booths and a room used by the employees to handle the cash, according to the district attorney.

Mrs. Wahlah and Mr. Foley were videotaped repeatedly voiding ticket sales at computers during the month that the cameras were in operation, prosecutors said.

“They voided a sale so there would be no record of that sale, and then they pocketed the cash,” Mr. Morgenthau said.

The tapes show Mrs. Wahlah stuffing cash into her purse and Mr. Foley cramming cash into his pockets, according to Mr. Morgenthau. Mrs. Wahlah allegedly kept $800,000 in a home safe, while Mr. Foley allegedly spent his stolen proceeds.

“The Whitney immediately recovered 90% of the embezzled funds and is insured for the rest,” said a Whitney spokeswoman, Megan Bullock. “The museum turned all of its evidence over to the district attorney’s office and, shortly thereafter, the two individuals involved were indicted and arrested.”

Mrs. Wahlah was arraigned on charges of second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, class C felonies with a maximum sentence of 15 years. Both of the defendants were charged with third-degree grand larceny, a class D felony with a maximum sentence of seven years.

The defendants had no legal representation and were remanded without bail until their next scheduled hearing on Monday.

Mrs. Wahlah wore a dress and had tied her hair into a long ponytail at her court appearance, and Mr. Foley wore a short-sleeved button-down shirt.

“The individuals who committed these acts used a scheme to abuse the systems in place, falsify reports, and steal money,” Ms. Bullock said.

The defendants passed criminal background checks at the time of their employment, and Ms. Bullock said the museum “has taken immediate steps to review procedures and strengthen controls in all of the areas where money is handled in the museum.”

The case was handled by assistant district attorney Duncan Levin of the special prosecutions bureau.