Former Pennsylvania attorney general regional director charged stealing tens of thousands of dollars
NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. (KDKA) -- A former employee of the Pennsylvania attorney general's narcotics division in Westmoreland County has been arrested and charged after she allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars in funds to fuel her gambling addiction.
Brenda Sawyer, 61, was the regional director for the state Office of Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics. Authorities said an investigation began after discovering significant amounts of agency money that was unaccounted for following Sawyer's retirement on Feb. 2, 2024.
A new agent reported learning $26,000 of agency money was allegedly in Sawyer's possession.
According to police paperwork, during a search warrant at Sawyer's home in May, police said Sawyer told investigators that she "typically kept the monies in envelopes in her office and last saw them near the end of January. Sawyer stated that around the same time, she began packing up her office in anticipation of her retirement. Sawyer stated that she thought that the envelopes may have fallen into the boxes of personal effects that she's taken to her residence, misplaced in her vehicle or shredded along with closed case files."
The Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said that money is used by agents to conduct undercover narcotics investigations.
The DA said the missing money prompted a bank and evidentiary audit that later revealed more financial discrepancies involving the agency's checking accounts and asset forfeiture evidence storage.
"Between January 2019 and February of 2024, detectives determined a total of 33 checks were issued from the PA Office of Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation to Sawyer totaling $21,973.25. During that same time period, detectives believe Sawyer issued an additional 25 checks totaling $23,959 from the PA Office of Attorney General's Strategic Response Team checking account," the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said.
Investigators also accuse Sawyer of unlawfully taking eight evidence envelopes containing $75,778 from forfeiture funding.
During the same time frame, investigators said Sawyer was the president of the NAACP Mckeesport branch where she allegedly forged the treasurer's signature to withdraw over $52,000 in funds.
According to police paperwork, "these withdrawals were not executed to cover organizational expenses."
KDKA-TV reached out to the NAACP McKeesport branch for comment on Thursday but didn't hear back by airtime.
According to investigators, after a review of Sawyer's 2023 tax documents, they found nearly $720,000 was spent in slot machine transactions at River's Casino.
Police said Sawyer admitted she's actively been involved in debt consolidation since 2019 but denied it was related to gambling.
According to police paperwork, between 2019 and 2023, Sawyer had over $651,000 in taxable income while also claiming $435,000 in gambling loss and $441,000 in day-to-day expenses.
Police said Sawyer denied using the missing $26,000 or any other funds obtained through her employment for gambling purposes.
KDKA-TV asked Sawyer for comment as she walked out of her preliminary arraignment on Thursday. She had no comment.
She's now facing felony charges including theft, forgery, tampering with evidence and obstruction.
Westmoreland County DA Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement, "This was an investigation that kept unraveling the more our detectives probed, and I commend County Detective Ray Dupilka for his relentless effort and diligence in investigating this case. No one is above the law and we will hold those accountable who feel emboldened to abuse their power and position of trust."
The Attorney General's Office also released a statement saying, "Upon discovering missing funds from the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation Section in our North Huntingdon office, our agency referred the matter to the Westmoreland County District Attorney for investigation. An employee who no longer works for the Office of Attorney General has now been charged by the District Attorney's Office with theft and related offenses regarding the missing money. Additionally, the employee has been charged with stealing money from a local chapter of the NAACP. The Office of Attorney General has been cooperating with the investigation and will continue to do so as this matter proceeds through the criminal justice system."
In addition to this investigation against Sawyer, KDKA is learning she's currently the chief of police at the Mckeesport Area School District. In court, Sawyer confirmed she started the position on Feb. 5, 2024.
District solicitor Gary Matta said the district was informed of her charges on Thursday afternoon and placed Sawyer on paid administrative leave as they review the case.
