What do Bensalem police say education association treasurer spent $28K in stolen money on
The treasurer of a Bensalem education association has been charged with stealing more than $28,000 from the 200-member union, the second arrest involving an officer in a school district-related organization in two months.
The president of the Bensalem Education Support Professional Association, a branch of the Pennsylvania teachers union representing support staff, contacted police in late March to report the theft after discovering several checks written on the association's bank account were returned and stamped “account closed,” according to police.
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When the BESPA’s president reviewed the account she found numerous unauthorized withdrawals, according to police. She also learned the account was closed June 15, 2022 with a negative balance of $842.
Police allege they found four additional accounts in the association’s name were opened at other area banks since 2017, and they also had negative balances totaling nearly $1,400, according to police.
Roughly 100 union members pay annual dues, which were forwarded to the organization's treasurer Melissa Ann Montney, according to police.
The organization president was alerted to the missing money in January after she received a notice from the Pennsylvania State Education Association that Montney had not paid her union dues, according to the affidavit. Montney worked as an instruction aide at a Bensalem school.
When Montney, 49, of Bensalem, was asked about the accounts and discrepancies in February, she immediately resigned from her position, Bensalem Township police said. She had been treasurer since 2017, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Authorities said Montney provided a box of bank records that showed extremely poor record keeping with no accounting of deposits or expenses along with undeposited checks for member union dues.
After obtaining bank records from all of the banks, the detective conducted an accounting of all of the deposits and withdrawals from the BESPA accounts. The investigation found that Montney embezzled $28,802.18 from the association between November 2018 and June 2022, police said.
Montney allegedly used the money to make cash withdrawals, Venmo payments to herself and purchases from Amazon, Friendly’s, Best Buy, QVC, and at least 64 other businesses.
Montney turned herself into authorities on Monday and was arraigned on charges of access device fraud, theft and receiving stolen property. She was released on bail and is suspended with pay from her district job, police said.
In March, Rebekah Ann Watson, 44, the former treasurer of the Bensalem High School Music Boosters Association, was arrested on three felony theft charges for allegedly stealing more than $25,000 from the organization over two years.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Treasurer of Bensalem education association charged with $28K theft.
