McKeesport detective charged with stealing more than $1 million from FOP union lodge
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (KDKA) -- A McKeesport detective has been charged with stealing more than $1 million from his Fraternal Order of Police union lodge, the state's Office of Attorney General announced on Thursday.
Fifty-five-year-old McKeesport detective Joseph Osinski is facing a slew of charges, including theft, access device fraud, misapplication of entrusted property and dealing in the proceeds of illegal activity.
According to prosecutors, the investigation began into Osinski, who was the financial secretary of FOP Lodge 91 from 2020 to April 2024, after union board members received an anonymous letter questioning the lodge's financial status. Before that, officials said other union leaders had seen purchases of alcohol and hotels on a lodge credit card that seemed questionable.
During an investigation, the attorney general's office said it learned that Osinski misappropriated more than $1 million from the lodge between March 2019 and April 2024.
When Osinski received checks made payable to the lodge, investigators said he deposited them into accounts he opened in the FOP's name at a different financial institution. Among the missing funds were checks written to the lodge for a memorial fund for an officer who died in the line of duty.
He also allegedly used the lodge's credit card and official bank accounts without other members' knowledge.
"This defendant was not only a trusted member of law enforcement in his community, he was trusted by his peers and colleagues to handle their dues money in support of the FOP mission," Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a news release. "His abuse of that trust left his fellow officers struggling to keep their lodge afloat and damaged the public's trust in those working to protect them. These charges serve as a reminder that we will seek justice from those who harm our communities, regardless of job or position."
Osinski has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 9.
