The Wissahickon High School Girls Swim Team and Wissahickon High School Boys Swim Team at Central Bucks South and Upper Moreland (High Definition Pictures):
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bookmark_borderPhiladelphia Counterfeit Check Ring
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Agents from the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section have arrested 10 Philadelphia residents accused of participating in an organization allegedly responsible for producing and cashing approximately $40,000 worth of counterfeit business checks.
Kelly said the checking account details for at least four businesses were allegedly copied and stolen by a former teller at a Sovereign Bank branch located in Dresher, Montgomery County, identified as Latosha Mabry, 25, of 2119 Anchor St., Philadelphia.
According to the criminal complaint, Mabry provided the stolen information to an individual known only by the nickname, “Beans,” who allegedly operated a counterfeit check scheme.
Other participants in the scheme allegedly opened personal bank accounts, deposited counterfeit checks into those accounts and then used ATM machines to withdraw cash, or allowed their bank cards to be used for cash withdrawals, before the fraud was discovered. In most cases the forged checks, were for amounts ranging from $3,000 to $5,500.
Kelly said that in at least one instance, Christopher Canty allegedly served as a recruiter and intermediary for the organization – approaching August Pauline about participating in the scheme and then purportedly arranging a meeting between Pauline and “Beans” in order to transfer a counterfeit check to be deposited and cashed.
Pauline allegedly drew others into the operation – contacting Tyisha Nixon about making money cashing counterfeit checks.
Others accused of depositing counterfeit checks as part of this scheme include Salahudin McDowell, Katrina Love, Tyisha Nixon, Latasha Buie, Terrance Joyner, Michael Bullins and Jesse Warren, all of Philadelphia. All were allegedly approached by various unnamed members of the organization with solicitations to participate in the scheme.
According to the criminal complaint, many of the participants were paid $300 to $400 in order to open bank accounts, deposit the counterfeit checks and then turn over their debit cards so that stolen funds could be withdrawn.
Kelly said that investigators have identified approximately $40,000 in transactions involving counterfeit checks that were cashed by members of this organization. Efforts to identify other participants and organizers of this scheme are ongoing.
The defendants will be prosecuted in Montgomery County by Chief Deputy Attorney General Erik L. Olsen of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section.
Kelly thanked the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and Sovereign Bank for their cooperation and assistance with this ongoing investigation.
All of the defendants were taken into custody on Tuesday, December 18th and preliminarily arraigned before Ambler Magisterial District Judge Patricia Zaffarano.
The following is a list of the defendants who have been charged:
Latosha Denise Mabry, 25, 2119 Anchor St., Philadelphia.
Christopher Canty, 30, 5427 Master St., Philadelphia.
August Pauline, 35, 4600 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia.
Tyisha Nixon, 19, 3820 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia.
Salahudin McDowell, 35, 1936 W. Ontario St., Philadelphia.
Katrina Love, 38, 1217 W. Cumberland St., Philadelphia.
Latasha Buie, 35, 2129 E. Birch St., Philadelphia.
Terrance Joyner, 19, 6223 Webster St., Philadelphia.
Michael Bullins, 35, 3744 N. Bouvier St., Philadelphia.
Jesse Warren, 26, 5313 Upland St., Philadelphia (currently incarcerated on unrelated charges).
Each of the defendants has been charged with forgery, which is a second-degree felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Additionally, the defendants are all charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, identify theft and criminal conspiracy, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.
They are also charged with bad checks, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, along with securing documents by deception, a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)
Latosha Denise Mabry
Christopher Canty
August Pauline
Tyisha Nixon
Salahudin McDowell
Katrina Love
Latasha Buie
Terrance Joyner
Michael Bullins
Jesse Warren
bookmark_borderMontco Passes 2013 Budget with No Tax Increase
Norristown, PA – The Montgomery County Commissioners today unanimously adopted a $409.6 million budget for 2013 that makes the first contribution to the county’s pension fund, begins to rebuild the county’s reserve fund, and does it without raising taxes.
The budget projects $412.2 million in revenues in 2013 and reserves $2.5 million for replenishing the county’s Fund Balance, which had shrunk from nearly $100 million to $20 million during the four years of the previous administration.
“This is an honest and transparent budget,” said Josh Shapiro, chairman of the board of commissioners. “This budget reflects the need to repair errors of commission and omission by prior administrations as well as absorbing state cuts to human services and continuing to grapple with the effects of the national recession.”
Vice Chair Leslie Richards praised the work of Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson and said the new budget ensures that the county’s reserve fund will not be used to pay county expenses. “It is a tough budget. It is a responsible budget. It is a transparent budget. We will continue to help others find other avenues for funding that we are unable to provide because it is not in the core responsibilities of what the county has to do,” Richards said.
Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr. called the budget “mean and lean.” He continued saying, “this budget gives us a base upon which to build and return Montgomery County back to its previous fiscal position.”
One of the most discussed sections of the budget involved the elimination of earmarks to 20 agencies in the county, several of which provide social services to county residents.
“In order to protect the vital services that this county provides, we eliminate all earmarks from this budget,” Shapiro explained. “While these earmarks supported many worthwhile organizations, legitimate questions were raised about the legality of these payments. Upon researching this issue, it became clear that the commissioners are not authorized to make these kinds of appropriations under the Second Class County Code, and that such transfers of taxpayer dollars are further prohibited by provisions of the Pennsylvania State Constitution.”
Shapiro said the law authorizes the county to enter into formal contracts with these organizations, to deliver those services and programs that the county would otherwise itself provide. “This is in keeping with what I and the other Commissioners have said since we began this budget process – that the County must focus its limited resources on providing the core services of government,” Shapiro said. “That is why we have worked closely with several of these organizations over the past few weeks to do just that.”
Through these contractual arrangements, the county will be positioned to provide these vitally important services in a more targeted, constructive, and transparent manner, all while operating within the framework of the laws of our Commonwealth. (A listing of those contracts approved today by the commissioners appears at the end of this press release.)
Shapiro detailed six other highlights of the budget during his remarks:
• This budget is balanced without using any gimmicks. It eliminates waste, duplication, and the fiscal malpractice that allowed for undercounting and overestimating.
• Shapiro and Commissioner Leslie Richards made a commitment during the 2011 campaign not to raise taxes this year and this budget assumes no tax increase.
• Commissioner Castor rightfully complained that the County did not make a payment to the pension fund for the past four years. This budget makes a significant contribution to the pension fund.
• Past budgets were often balanced on the backs of county employees. By contrast, this budget actually invests more in our county employees by improving their health benefits at no additional cost to them through savings we realized with our new broker.
• When the previous administration took office the county’s reserve fund was nearly $100 million. When this administration took office it was a mere $20 million. In fact, the erosion of the reserve fund was the stated reason by the ratings agency for the downgrade in the county’s bond rating. This budget makes a serious down payment on the future by growing the reserve for the first time in four years.
• This budget contains real reforms that will make tax dollars go further and yield savings in the future from efforts like departmental consolidation.
Shapiro reiterated that the budget adopted today was in many ways dictated by the “mess” that the previous administration created including:
• A $10 million budget shortfall that necessitated immediate cuts.
• County government buildings that were crumbling and will take at least $50 million to fix.
• An emergency radio system that will require at least $45 million to upgrade.
• The need to borrow money our first month in office just to make the initial payrolls and pay operating expenses.
“If we fail to make these tough choices now, we will simply perpetuate a broken system that costs taxpayers more while giving them less,” said Shapiro. “In other words, these cuts are necessary in order to meet the County’s core responsibilities to our constituents. Notwithstanding the challenges, let me be clear—we are moving in the right direction. We effectively managed the short-term crises and now with this budget we establish a positive, long-term path forward for our county.”
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The following is a list of contracts approved by the commissioners with agencies that lost their earmarks in the new budget:
• A contract, not to exceed $200,000, with Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania for assistance with housing-related legal matters
• A contract, not exceed $70,000, with Legal Aid for case coverage assigned by the courts to represent lower income parents in Juvenile Court and Parental Terminations in Orphans/Juvenile Court
• A contract with Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project (MCAP), not to exceed $20,000 for case coverage assigned by courts for child advocacy
• A contract with the Women’s Center of Montgomery County, not to exceed $10,000, for assistance with Protection from Abuse Orders