Former Shenandoah secretary accused of stealing $23k from sewer, trash funds
SHENANDOAH – A former Shenandoah borough secretary has been charged with felony theft and receiving stolen property, accused of stealing over $23,000 from the sewer and trash funds.
Alyssa Lynn Boris, 30, of 206 West Lloyd Street, was charged Thursday by Trooper Shawn Tray of the Pennsylvania State Police.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker’s office, police were notified by the borough’s solicitor, James Amato, about a possible theft in early 2022.
Troopers interviewed Amato, Borough Manager Tony Sajone, and Secretary Cassondra Krise on March 31, 2022, and were told that Boris was responsible for making deposits in the sewer and trash funds at First National Bank in Shenandoah. Those deposits included cash, checks, and money orders, and there was no set timeframe to make deposits, but they were generally made daily.
According to the complaint, Krise noticed discrepancies in the borough’s financial reporting system regarding the sewer and trash funds on Feb. 11. Deposits were not being completed on time, she said, and she notified Sajone.
Sajone, troopers said, checked with the bank on March 3, who said Boris had not made a deposit “in several days.
On March 31, troopers said Boris’s boyfriend dropped off a bank bag at borough hall which contained cash and checks totaling $10,328 inmixed funds that should have been deposited into the trash and sewer accounts.
Boris voluntarily visited the State Police barracks on April 4 and was interviewed, telling troopers that deposits are not made every day, and that she had taken work home on some occasions. In January of 2022, she said she misplaced a deposit bag containing around 8 deposits.
Troopers said she told them that she was worried about her son’s health and that, around the end of January, “she wanted to have everything paid off.” She worked multiple jobs and was trying to pay the money back, which she used for bills.
When cash would come in, troopers said, she would put certain deposits together but place the money aside.
From December of 2021 until the interview, she estimated that 15 $1,000 deposits were made into her account, troopers said.
In May of 2022, troopers executed a search warrant for her bank account documents from May 2021 to May 2022, which were received on June 6. Multiple ATM deposits matched what she had said, troopers said.
An accountant, Samuel Deegan, was requested to assist in reviewing the sewer and trash records and a report of the findings indicated that the total cash missing was $23,685.32 — $15,566.57 from the sewer account and $8,118.75 from the trash account.
Boris was charged with felony theft by unlawful taking, felony theft by failure to make disposition of funds, and felony receiving stolen property.
She was arraigned Friday by Kilker and bail was set at $50,000 unsecured.
A preliminary hearing is set for June 29.
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