A Churchill woman faces criminal charges after the Allegheny County District Attorney says she was executing a check scheme against First Commonwealth Bank.
Ngoc Phuongthi Le, 54, is charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, access device fraud and more than 20 counts of bad checks.
According to the criminal complaint, Le used access to her husband’s personal and business bank accounts to write checks to herself in amounts that exceeded available account balances. She deposited the funds into her personal First Commonwealth Bank account and immediately transferred the money out before the bank could flag the checks for insufficient funds.
District Attorney Zappala commented on the prevalence of financial schemes in the area and emphasized the need for community awareness.
“This is something that unfortunately occurs far too often in our county,” Zappala said. “To effectively charge these crimes, we have to first understand the scam. Individuals and businesses should be vigilant and report suspicious transactions as soon as possible.”
The DA’s Office says between 22, 2025 and Jan. 5, 2026, Le allegedly issued 24 bad checks totaling $82,710 in attempted stolen funds.
First Commonwealth Bank sustained a loss of approximately $56,072.23 as a result of the scheme.
Investigators traced the movement of the funds out of Le’s account through wire transfers and Zelle deposits.
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