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$850K Stolen In 'Theft-Return Scheme' By Organized Crime: PA AG
A criminal organization made $850,000 in illegal profits in a sophisticated theft-return scheme targeting TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Marshalls stores, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said.
Nine people involved with the Philadelphia-based organization, which has been in operation since 2022, were arrested and charged with numerous felonies, according to a Thursday, Oct. 24 news release from the attorney general.
Davon Whitfield, 40, of Roslyn; Naima Scott, 47, of Abington; and Zonay Griffin, 26, all of Philadelphia, were named as the leaders who personally made about 1,500 transactio…
Edison Pena-Roman Stole $22K From Various Businesses: Police
An Allentown mail handler was charged for stealing more than $22,000 in checks from businesses in four counties, according to police.
Edison Pena-Roman, 45, is facing multiple felony charges for stealing checks from businesses throughout Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton counties, the Hilltown Township Police Department said in a Monday, Oct. 21 news release.
Pena-Roman was working for an unnamed, Bath-based transportation company that delivers mail to and from various post offices, according to police.
The investigation into Pena-Roman began in February when a Hilltown Township b…
Chesco Identity Thief Stole Victims' Mail, Opened Credit Cards In Their Names: DA
A Spring City man is charged with more than 500 counts in two separate cases of alleged forgery, identity theft, and related offenses, according to the Chester County District Attorney's Office.
Joshua Hartmann, 41, stole mail from residents in Schuylkill Township, Phoenixville, Malvern, Tredyffrin, Upper Providence, and Lower Providence for months, prosecutors claim.
Authorities say he used the victims' information to change their addresses on file with government agencies, then stole their identities and opened credit cards in their names.
Tredyffrin…
Felon Gives Her 3 Children Marijuana Brownies, Alcohol, Chambersburg Police Say
A convicted felon and mom of three children is wanted for giving them marijuana brownies and alcohol, Chambersburg police announced late on Wednesday night.
Carrie Lynn Frazier, 34 of the 300 block South Main Street in Chambersburg, is wanted for three counts each of endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors, area police explained on Feb. 21.
The charges stem from an incident on July 1, 2022. The details of this were not immediately available.
Frazier has a history of prostitution, conspiracy, theft, forgery, driving under the influence of a controlled substan…
Berks Woman Stole Thousands From Elderly Victim's Bank Account, Prosecutors Say
A Reading woman is accused of defrauding a senior out of thousands of dollars, says the Berks County District Attorney's Office.
Tracy Hoffman, 58, is charged with felony financial exploitation of an older adult, identity theft, forgery, and related counts, according to prosecutors.
Investigators said Hoffman issued multiple checks from the victim's personal bank account without her knowledge, allegedly withdrawing more than $9,000. She's also accused of making over $12,000 in authorized credit card transactions in the victim's name, authorities said.
Detectives believe t…
Former PA Hospital Director Embezzled $600K From Charity Account: DA
An ex-Doylestown Hospital director is accused of siphoning over $600,000 from a corporate account filled with charitable donations, according to prosecutors.
Norma Galagarza, 68, of Chalfont, is charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, forgery, and related counts, said the Bucks District Attorney's Office.
As the hospital's Director of Medical Staff, authorities said Galagarza was responsible for managing the Charitable Fund, an employee benevolent program financed through donations.
Hospital administrators contacted police in January 20…
$744K+ Lottery Ticket Forged By PA Woman, Police Say
A Pennsylvania woman "manipulated and forged" a lottery ticket so it would appear that she won several hundreds of thousands of dollars, police announced on Friday.
Kathy Louise Free, 61, of State Line, changed a number on a Pennsylvania Lottery Tocket making it appear that she won $744, 260 in Sept. 2022, according to the Lower Swatara Township Police.
The following criminal charges were filed against Free on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023:
Felony Criminal Attempt Theft by Deception.
Felony Forgery.
Misdemeanor Possession of an Instrument of Crime.
She was released on $1,000 unsecured b…
Fire Company Treasurer Embezzled $900K, Berks DA Claims
The treasurer of a Berks County fire company is accused of stealing nearly $900,000 over a period of seven years, prosecutors say.
Kenneth J. Long of the Birdsboro Union Fire Department is charged with theft, forgery, and related counts and surrendered to detectives on Monday, Aug. 14, the Berks District Attorney's Office said.
The 61-year-old came under investigation in January, when firefighters reported "more than $500,000" were missing from the department's accounts, authorities said.
He was interviewed by detectives in February when he allegedly admitted to "utilizin…
PA Employee Embezzled $1.2 Million From Furniture Store, DA Says
A high-ranking employee at a Pennsylvania furniture business is accused of embezzling more than $1 million from the company, authorities say.
Linda Mansi, 53, of Tuckerton, New Jersey, is charged with multiple felonies from Arnold Office Furniture and Sunline Supply in Bridgeport, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's Office in a release Friday, July 28.
Jay and Jordan Berkowitz, the owners of the stores, approached police in February about a "significant theft" from the company's coffers, the DA said.
The Berkowitzes claimed Mansi — an employee sin…
Greedy PA Workers Paid Off Student Loans, Took Trips To Jersey Shore On Doctor's Dime: DA
Trips to the Jersey Shore, student loan payments and gifts to their boyfriends.
Two employers of a West Chester doctor sneakily stole $450,000 of his money to do just that and more, but not before trying to sell one of the doctor's $1 million properties without his permission, according to authorities in Chester County.
Mikayla Zeigler, 22, of West Chester, and Danielle King, 25, of Chadds Ford, "engaged in a cunning scheme to steal from their boss and spent it lavishly on themselves," District Attorney Deb Ryan said.
"They used the money to pay their rent, student loans, and credit card d…
Smiley Suspect Believed To Have Burglarized PA Post Office: Police
Police in Chester County a looking for a man who they say ransacked the Westtown post office in the middle of the night late last year.
Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police were called to the post office, 844 E. Street Road, just 7 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, the department said in a press release.
There, postal workers had walked into the office to find mail littered throughout the building, with packages missing from PO boxes and employee desks having been "rummaged through," they told authorities.
On Tuesday, April 4, the department issued an arrest warrant for 22-ye…
Employee Embezzled $2.4 Million From Bucks Gaming Company, DA Charges
An employee at a Bensalem-based casino supply company is accused of writing hundreds of phony checks to pay himself millions of dollars, say prosecutors.
Michael Bull, 47, of Emmaus, surrendered to police on Monday, March 27, and was charged with multiple felonies related to theft, forgery, and identity theft, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said in a release.
In 2014, Bull began working at KGM Gaming in Bensalem, a firm that sells specialized seating, signage, and indoor fixtures for casinos, the DA said. He first came under scrutiny during a December 2022 audi…
Baltimore Woman's Baby Formula Scam Catches Illegal Romanian Man In Gettysburg: Authorities
A Baltimore woman illegally using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cards to collect baby formula she claimed to be sending to Ukraine, lead to the arrest of a Romanian man illegally in the US who allegedly forged documents for her, authorities say.
Eglisa Ciuciu, 25, of Baltimore, MD, and Sandrino Trifu, 32, of Croaova, Romania were arrested along with an unnamed 15-year-old in connection to a bizarre baby formula theft at the Gettysburg Walmart on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.
Ciuciu used the 15-year-old to transport the stolen goods from the store that she supposedly needed “to s…
NJ Woman Swiped Check From Chester County Mailbox, Altered It To $13K, Cops Say
A Garden State woman is wanted in Chester County for forging a check, authorities say.
Jada M. Collins, a 21-year-old Linden, New Jersey resident, is accused of stealing a check from the mailbox of a business in East Goshen, police said in a statement. Investigators believe Collins swiped a check from the business' mailbox and altered it to read $13,000, and then deposited that amount in her own account.
Westtown-East Goshen police ask anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts — "or, if she herself sees this" — to contact Det. David Hale at dhale@wegopd.o…
PA Woman Stole $162K In Covid-19 Relief Funds Intended For Renters Facing Eviction
A 53-year-old Pennsylvania woman stole more than $162,000 in COVID-19 relief funds intended for renters facing eviction or utility shut-off, authorities said.
Tina M. Yorgey, of Norristown, was charged with multiple counts of theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, and other related offenses, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said on Friday, Sept. 30.
Prosecutors say Yorgey received $162,680 in funding on nine COVID Emergency Rental Assistance and Utility Coalition (ERUC) applications by submitting fraudulent claims and forged documents.
An investigation…
PA Collision Center Owner Surrenders After Submitting $426K In False Insurance Claims
A Bucks County collision center owner who submitted nearly 300 false insurance claims, pocketing more than $426,000 in payouts has surrendered to authorities, they said.
John Paul Reis, 56, of Newtown Township, turned himself in on Thursday, Aug. 25, on charges of insurance fraud, deceptive business practices, forgery, and theft by deception, all third-degree felonies, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
The charges come after a four-year investigation by county detectives that began in Sept. 2018, after they received a referral from officials with …
