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William "Bill" Thomas Corcoran Jr., 35, of Mountain Top, Luzerne County, founder and host of “On the Stacks” podcast, has been charged with one count of theft by unlawful taking, according to police and court records.
An investigation was launched in April 2024, when executive board members of the nonprofit "Wilkes-Barre POWER", informed detectives of numerous unauthorized bank transactions, according to the criminal complaint filed by Kingston Police.
Wilkes-Barre POWER is a non-profit that provides opportunities for networking and community improvement, according to its website.
Corcoran, who stepped down as president of the organization on Dec. 31, 2023, was named a suspect by investigators for allegedly stealing more than $2,000.
Investigators interviewed Corcoran at the Kingston Municipal Police Department on May 21, 2024. With his lawyer present, he allegedly admitted to carrying out the transactions, according to the complaint.
The police investigation found that unauthorized transactions from Wells Fargo accounts occurred between May 2019 and April 2022, according to the court documents.
Wilkes-Barre POWER released a statement on their Facebook page on Monday, Sept. 23, stating in part:
“Our team attempted to have a constructive dialogue with former leadership regarding discrepancies. We were unable to reach a consensus regarding restitution and involved the authorities to assist with an agreement.”
On his Facebook account, Corcoran wrote:
"I want to take a moment to address the recent accusations made against me. As a leader and public figure in my community, I owe it to my team and the businesses that I serve to respond to the situation at hand. The details of the organizational spending have been exaggerated and misrepresented, and as a result, a follow up story will be out soon to bring clarity to the situation."
Corcoran posted $10,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 8, according to court records.
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