Pennsylvania City Treasurer Charged with Stealing $100,000 for Gambling, Vacations

A Pennsylvania city treasurer has been charged by the attorney general’s office for absconding with more than $100,000 of taxpayer money.

Uniontown city Treasurer Antoinette Hodge is accused of stealing almost $107,000 in 2020-2021 while serving as an elected official.

“The defendant is a public official entrusted to oversee city funds with integrity and accountability,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a press release. “Instead, she is accused of stealing from taxpayers to enrich herself. My Office will investigate and prosecute anyone who abuses their position of power for their own financial gain.”

City Council kicked off an investigation in 2021 after a dozen taxpayers were warned of being delinquent in paying, though they already paid their taxes.

The money came from city and school tax revenues, among other sources.

Hodge concentrated power of the three-person treasurer’s office into her hands, allowing the theft to go on while a deputy treasurer and a clerk remained unaware.

“Staff at the City’s Treasurer’s Office testified that various changes were made under Hodge’s leadership, including Hodge taking over filling out deposit slips, taking over as the sole person reviewing the tax account information, and eliminating other checks and balances within the Treasurer’s Office,” the release noted.

The missing money went toward “an expensive gambling habit” and far-flung trips…. (Excerpt from The Pennsylvania Daily Star)