NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — UPDATE 7/31: North Versailles leaders now say all taxpayer money has been accounted for, days after we reported a tax collector employee was fired for taking money out of her coworkers’ desks.
Commissioner Sam Juliano told us that the township has been made whole, and no one’s property taxes are missing.
He said the township is taking steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
The police department has an ongoing criminal investigation. It’s not clear if charges will be filed.
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Initial coverage:
A criminal investigation is underway in North Versailles after a township Tax Collector employee was caught going through her coworkers’ desks and taking property tax checks and cash, a source familiar with the investigation told Channel 11.
The township employee is not yet facing any criminal charges and the police chief declined to share any details about his investigation.
The source said alarms were raised in the municipal building after the tax collector’s office kept coming up short. Cameras were installed in every room, including behind the particular employee’s desk. The cameras filmed the employee coming in an hour before everyone else to search through the office.
The township fired the employee earlier this month and is working to figure out how much money was stolen and how many taxpayers are affected, the source said. It’s unclear what will happen to those taxpayers, who are now getting calls from a collections agency.
North Versailles Commission President Frank Bivins said they still didn’t have answers to many of their questions, didn’t know what the impact on the budget would be and referred all additional questions to the township’s attorney, who did not respond to multiple phone calls.
11 Investigates visited the employee’s home Tuesday to ask her about the accusations. She quickly shut her door after the team introduced themselves.
The tax collector’s team also quickly shut and locked their door, to the frustration of residents who had come to the municipal building to pay their taxes. They later claimed the collector was not at work Tuesday.
The township’s next scheduled public meeting is Aug. 20. Leaders are already anticipating a heavier-than-usual turnout from people who want answers about their supposedly unpaid taxes.
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