Lunch Ladies Accused Of Stealing $93,000, Gambling It At Casino
CHARLEROI, Pa. (KDKA) – Two former cafeteria workers in the Charleroi Area School District won't be serving lunch anymore, but they could soon be serving time.
Stacy Lee Shipley, 50, and Sheila Ann Cook, 49, both of Charleroi, are accused of stealing nearly $94,000 from lunch money.
Investigators say Shipley was responsible for making deposits. But instead would keep the cash deposits, share it with Cook and then both would allegedly gamble at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington, Pa.
The superintendent of the district, Dr. Brad Ferko says a couple of months ago during a regular budget meeting, they discovered about $30,000 was missing from the lunch money.
Looking deeper they soon found out it was a lot more than that.
Dr. Ferko told KDKA's Brenda Waters: "If you steal from the Charleroi Area School District, we are going to pursue, pursue until we get to the bottom because we owe it to our community and our taxpayers."
Dr. Ferko says a new system of depositing lunch monies has already been put in place.
Shipley and Cook were arraigned Thursday morning and each released on $50,000 unsecured bond.
Both had worked in the district for more than eight years.
The district was hit hard by the theft, 50 percent of the lunches are either free or reduced.
Shipley has been charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking, Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Funds Received, Dealing in the proceeds of Unlawful Activities, Criminal Conspiracy and Forgery.
Cook has been charged with Receiving Stolen Property, Dealing in proceeds of Unlawful Activities and Criminal Conspiracy.
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