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Brenda D. Sawyer, 61, of North Versailles, was arrested on the following charges on Sept. 5 for her alleged crimes of taking the money which went missing from the Attorney General’s Narcotics Office in North Huntingdon dating back to Jan. 1, 2019, according to court documents:
- Felony Deal in proceeds of unlawful activity with intent to promote.
- Felony Forgery.
- Felony Theft (three counts).
- Misdemeanor Obstruct Administers of Law or Other Government Function.
- Misdemeanor Tamper With or Fabricate Physical Evidence.
County Detectives were notified of theft allegations in April of 2024 in connection to money noticed missing in February as a new agent was transitioning into the regional director position, the Westmoreland DA's office explained.
Sawyer reportedly had taken $26,000 of agency money intended to fund undercover narcotics investigations. When questioned the situation played out as follows:
"Sawyer stated she may have lost or misplaced the funds but relayed that she would use her personal account to cover the loss. The missing money prompted a bank and evidentiary audit, and revealed further financial discrepancies involving agency checking accounts and asset forfeiture evidence storage. After an extensive investigation, detectives determined a trail of transactions from the bureau to Sawyer’s personal accounts coinciding with withdraws in varying degrees from ATMs at area casinos."
In addition to the personal account transactions, a total of 33 checks for a sum of $21,973.25 were issued from the PA Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation to Sawyer between January 2019 through February 2024, according to the DA.
Also as stated in the release:
"During that same time period, detectives believe Sawyer issued an additional 25 checks totaling $23,959 from the PA Office of Attorney General’s Strategic Response Team checking account [...] Detectives allege Sawyer unlawfully took 8 evidence envelopes containing $75,778 from forfeiture funding."
Again, during this time, period Sawyer became the Director of the Community Violence Fund program for the McKeesport Chapter of the NAACP. "She is suspected of creating a fraudulent account by forging the signature of the McKeesport NAACP’s Treasurer," the DA said, noting the "withdrew approximately $52,650 of funds from the McKeesport Branch of the NAACP."
Sawyer has been held in the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post 10% cash security for $100,000 bail as set by Judge Henry Lee Moore during her preliminary arraignment at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 5, as detailed in her court docket. She is set to appear again before Judge Moore from her preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. on Sept. 13.
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