ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A suspended EBT coordinator at the Lehigh County Assistance Office is charged with stealing benefit cards and using or trading them for more than $20,000 in food benefits, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and State Inspector General Michelle A. Henry said Monday.
Sheila McDonald, 46, of Pittsburgh, was responsible for securing the Electronic Benefit Transfer cards created and mailed by the office, with access to recipients’ dates of birth and Social Security numbers, according to a joint news release. The release said 48 cards she activated were used more than 270 times for $20,558.61 in benefits, or about $428 a card.
The release said she exchanged benefits for drugs and cash or used them at area stores. She is charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, access device fraud, two counts of criminal conspiracy and receiving stolen property. Court records show each count is a third-degree felony and list July 23, 2024, as the offense date…