Former Upper Darby Township Employee Accused Of Embezzling Over $200,000

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A former Upper Darby Township financial clerk is facing multiple charges for allegedly embezzling over $200,000 in township funds.

Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland announced the arrest of Jessica Smith McCusker on Tuesday. She is accused of embezzling $216,000 worth of Upper Darby Township funds over a period of five years.

Authorities say she would take cash payments, issue a receipt, log that the account had been paid, but post the payment to a date that had already been reconciled. She later admitted she used the money to pay for her drug habit.

The investigation into the missing money surfaced in November 2017.

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At the time, detectives were sorting out an alleged theft scheme and it was not clear how long the embezzling was going on.

The first sign something was wrong arose in May 2017 when money was reported missing from the township tax collector's office. The township police department referred the theft case to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.

CBS3 reported in November upwards of $300,000 was missing from the township tax office. Prosecutors believe they've accounted for all of the missing funds.

"Fortunately, the insurance company did reimburse us for the theft, so the taxpayers are not without, but that's not the way we want to be reimbursed," said Upper Darby Township Mayor Thomas Micozzie. "We want to make sure these things don't happen again."

For its part, the Township has spent hundreds of thousands on new software and no longer accepts cash payments at the tax office.

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McCusker is free on unsecured bond. She is under electronic monitoring.