Woman charged for allegedly stealing $425K from UPMC pharmacy

PITTSBURGH — A woman is facing charges after she allegedly stole nearly half a million dollars from a UPMC pharmacy.

Chante Cantave, 28, of Penn Hills, is accused of misusing over $410,000 worth of UPMC Presbyterian Hospital Pharmacy funds for personal benefit.

Cantave is also accused of submitting fraudulent reimbursement requests for approximately $15,500.

The criminal complaint said Cantave used the UPMC purchasing system to buy things that were not for the benefit of or related to the pharmacy. She’s accused of making the purchases on her work computer and then going into her supervisor’s office when he wasn’t there to approve the orders.

An investigation revealed that Cantave started making unrelated UPMC purchases in July 2020, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said.

Cantave allegedly ordered around 2,673 items including self-help books, commercial cleaning equipment, home improvement items and technology purchases. The investigation also discovered 16 unsuccessful attempts of purchases amounting to nearly $39,000.

The supervisors became aware of suspicious purchases in December 2023 and confronted Cantave, which she denied. She has since been suspended from employment at UPMC, the district attorney’s office said.

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