Erie City Council President Indicted on Theft From Nonprofit
A grand jury has indicted the Erie, Penn., city council president on allegations she stole more than $70,000 over seven years from an anti-violence nonprofit she runs.
The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced the 33-count indictment against Sonya Arrington on Thursday. It includes charges of wire fraud and theft of government property.
The indictment alleges Arrington solicited donations for her nonprofit Mothers Against Teen Violence between 2011 and 2018 and withheld funds from deposits to the group’s accounts or spent portions of the donations on personal items such as groceries, bills, clothes and car washes.
Authorities also allege Arrington used the nonprofit’s debit card to withdraw money 113 times at an area casino.
Messages left for Arrington early Thursday by phone and email were not immediately returned.