PERRYOPOLIS, Pa. — A man who was supposed to perform maintenance work at two historical facilities in Perryopolis, Fayette County, is facing hundreds of charges after he didn’t do the job and embezzled thousands of dollars, according to authorities.
Roger Baldwin was hired in 2011 to perform maintenance work at George Washington’s Grist Mill and Shreve’s Distillery, which was filled with mud and rain when Channel 11 News got a look inside on Tuesday.
Police said Baldwin’s work, which was to include repairs and grass cutting, was never done. But he was billing the Perryopolis Area Heritage Society for 10- to 14-hour days, seven days a week.
James Blair, a chairman of Parks and Recreation in Perryopolis, asked police to investigate after it was noticed that tens of thousands of charitable dollars had been disappearing each year. The money was meant for preserving the buildings.
“We knew a lot of money came in, and where did it go? Because the mill was in bad shape,” Blair said.
Police said Baldwin’s deceased mother, the former president of the heritage society, hired Baldwin and insisted that he be paid for hours he didn’t work. Her friend was the treasurer who signed checks.
Authorities don’t have records from the first three years Baldwin was on the job. However, from July 2014 to January 2016 he illegally obtained 101 checks amounting to $41,542 and cashed more than $10,000 in checks written to other people, according to a criminal complaint.
“We need at least $50,000 to get the mill back in shape, and we could have used it, and now we don't have it,” Blair said.
Baldwin receives full Social Security disability benefits after a motorcycle accident and told police he has “difficulty walking” and is “in constant pain,” Channel 11 News learned. He is now facing nearly 300 charges for embezzlement and theft of charity funds.
The heritage society treasurer, Cindy Wadsworth, is also facing charges.