Prelim Trial Continues For Councilman Accused Of Theft

The preliminary hearing continues on Tuesday for an Allegheny County councilman accused of taking money from a widow's multimillion-dollar trust fund and giving it to Republican election campaigns and a charity run by his wife.

A grand jury said Councilman Charles McCullough gave $40,000 from the $14.5 million trust fund of Shirley Jordan, 92, to four different Republican campaigns.

According to the criminal complaint, McCullough funneled $10,000 to Catholic charities, where his wife was the executive director, and another $40,000 to Republican candidates.

He's also accused of taking $132,000 for himself.

On Monday the prosecution called on Jordan’s nurse, Jan Skowbron, to testify. She told the judge that Jordan told her she thought $40,000 in campaign donations made by McCullough on her behalf was “an extremely large amount of money.”

Jordan has dementia and has been declared incapacitated by the court. But she told investigators she didn't give permission for McCullough to make the donations.

McCullough's defense contended that Jordan doesn't remember giving her approval.

"Oh, come on," said Jordan. "Would I be crazy enough to give out a check for $10,000 to someone that I don't know? He's a dirty crook, if you want my opinion."

However, McCullough's attorney, Clifford Levine, has a completely different story. He said all of the money in question was accounted for at a court hearing in August.

District Attorney Stephen Zappala said some of the decisions a judge made last year concerning the trust were based on false information allegedly supplied by McCullough.

Zappala said he plans to file a petition addressing the false information claim. In the meantime, he said even though Jordan will likely not be able to testify because she suffers from dementia, Zappala said he has a strong case.

"Everything you do is supposed to take care of that person, and more of these things were done in the best interest of this body," Zappala said. "So, it's a paper case. I'd like to have Ms. Jordan tell a jury, but we may not have that chance."

The 52-year-old McCullough is facing 24 criminal counts, including nine counts of theft and false reports to law enforcement.

McCullough's sister, Kathleen McCullough, was also arrested and charged with theft. She's accused of overcharging Jordan for providing care.

Her attorney, however, said it was all above board.