A West Springfield woman charged more than three years ago with stealing from a Veterans of Foreign Wars post where she once worked could have faced a period of probation for her admitted crime if she paid back the money she took, officials said in court on Wednesday.
But under an agreement hashed out between the Erie County District Attorney’s Office and the lawyer for 43-year-old Tasha L. Stone, she faced an 11½-to-23-month county prison sentence if she failed to pay back fully the $25,000 in agreed-upon restitution to VFW Post No. 4965 in West Springfield, Erie County Judge David Ridge said in court.
Stone never paid back one cent of money, according to the District Attorney’s Office, leading Ridge to sentence Stone on Wednesday to the county prison term on her guilty plea in September 2023 to a first-degree misdemeanor count of theft by unlawful taking.
Stone failed to appear in court for her sentencing, and Ridge issued a bench warrant for her arrest. In addition to the prison term, Ridge sentenced Stone in absentia to serve three years of probation once she is released from prison, to perform 100 hours of community service and to undergo drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations.
“She had the opportunity to make things right at least as far as the money,” Ridge said before handing down the sentence.
What is she accused of?
The Pennsylvania State Police initially charged Stone by summons in early March 2021 with third-degree felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property after authorities said missing money was discovered following an internal audit of the VFW post.
Stone, whom a VFW official said had worked as canteen manager at the post, was accused in her criminal complaint of taking the money by writing unauthorized checks to herself between April 3, 2020, and Nov. 28, 2020. Investigators also accused her of taking some money by cashing out an unclaimed game of chance ticket after being asked to close out the game as a non-winner.
A representative of VFW Post No. 4965 attended Wednesday’s sentencing hearing but did not address the court.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Prison term for Springfield woman in VFW theft after no money repaid
