The Greater Philadelphia Area
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A variety of fall snow storms have turned the region into a mix of snow and ice. On several occasions, the weather conditions have paralyzed traffic.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The FBI issued a statement saying Christopher Stehm, 51, of Mason, Ohio, was charged with defrauding his employer, Berwyn-based Ametek Inc., of at least $659,731, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. According to the information, Stehm was the chief accounting officer at two different offices of the company when he submitted phony claims for expense reimbursements, many of which he supported with doctored receipts. Stehm is charged with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of filing false tax returns.
Stehm was the controller for Ametek’s Chandler division in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, from about January 2006 through March 2010. In April 2010, Ametek promoted Stehm to be the vice president of finance at its HCC division in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Stehm held that position until November 2012. In both positions, Stehm was his office’s chief accounting officer. According to the information, throughout his employment at Ametek, Stehm used a variety of methods to obtain “reimbursements” for expenses that he either never incurred or that were wholly personal in nature. These methods allegedly included cutting off the tops of receipts or “whiting out” portions of receipts that Stehm submitted with his expense reimbursement claims to make them appear to be business-related. Stehm also allegedly used copies of the same receipts to support multiple expense reimbursement claims.
Ametek is a publicly traded company (symbol AME on the New York Stock Exchange) that manufactures electronic instruments and electromechanical devices for sale in numerous countries. The company is headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, but it has offices in numerous locations in the U.S. and overseas.
The information alleges that among the numerous personal expenses Stehm submitted for reimbursement from Ametek were repairs to his personal cars, private meals, and the purchase of a family dog. Stehm also allegedly hid his illegal income from the Internal Revenue Service and claimed baseless deductions when he filed his tax forms for 2010 and 2011, thereby under-reporting his annual income by more than $100,000 in each of those tax years.
If convicted of all charges, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 46 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $1 million fine, and a $400 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark B. Dubnoff.
An indictment or information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
WEST CHESTER, PA — Students enrolled in the Department of Geology and Astronomy are now actually able to visualize what takes place below the Earth’s surface during events such as an earthquake or volcano, and what may have occurred billions of years ago in space.
This past summer, the University replaced its 44-year-old system of gears and mirrors with a 32-foot nanoseam dome and powerful digital planetarium projector, designed specifically for “full dome” education. Built by Spitz, the world leader in projection domes, and powered by “Starry Night” and “The Layered Earth,” the SciDome XD Touch system provides real time simulation for space and earth science teaching. Students can explore the layers of Earth in 3D detail, or immerse themselves in an interactive visual universe.
“In place of sky views seen only from the Earth, the new system allows students to look beyond the solar system and study star formations or clusters of galaxies and galactic mergers beyond our own Milky Way from any prospective,” says Karen Vandlandingham, associate professor and director of the planetarium.
“Students have the capability of standing on Mars, for example, and of having a view as if they’re next to the rover that was left there.”
“Geology students are taking advantage of this equipment as well,” says Vanlandingham. “The ‘Layered Earth’ program can project huge areas of the Earth onto the dome. Any data base of earthquakes, for example, can be projected – even the center of a quake. Students can also observe what’s happening under the Earth’s surface as a volcano develops.”
Located in the Schmucker Science Center link, the new facility is named after alumna and retired faculty member Dr. Sandra F. Pritchard Mather. In addition to enhancing the educational experience of WCU students, the new planetarium is expected to continue being an exceptional resource for the surrounding community. Each year, thousands of children, local community groups and individuals attend its weekly private presentations and hour-long monthly evening shows – all which begin again on October 18.