Former Carmichaels manager pleads guilty to stealing $75,000 from borough
Brandi Wydo-Streit
WAYNESBURG – The Carmichaels borough manager accused of stealing nearly $75,000 from the municipality’s coffers over several years pleaded guilty to theft Wednesday.
Brandi Lea Wydo-Streit, 44, of Carmichaels, pleaded guilty in Greene County Court to 89 counts of misdemeanor theft in a deal in which prosecutors agreed to withdraw 89 felony forgery charges she also faced.
State police said Wydo-Streit wrote 89 additional paychecks for herself totaling $74,965 between 2012 until 2016 before admitting to the thefts in September 2016 to various borough officials. State police charged her last July.
As borough manager, Wydo-Streit controlled the municipality’s finances and was authorized to sign official checks, although some went without second signatures, Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox said. Wydo-Streit’s defense attorney, Dave Pollock, said she did not forge any documents, but wrote more checks to herself than she was entitled to receive.
“There’s always been a lot of remorse,” Pollock said. “She cooperated from the onset of the investigation and continued throughout the process.”
He said she did not spend the money on drugs or gambling, but ordinary household items for her family.
Wydo-Streit will undergo a pre-sentence investigation before Greene County Judge Lou Dayich sentences her at a future date. Pollock said they are hoping for a light sentence with no jail time to be able to make restitution to the borough faster.
“I think she’s sincere about wanting to pay back the money as quickly as possible,” Pollock said.
She is free on $7,496 cash bond while awaiting sentencing.
Following the theft, Carmichaels Borough Council implemented stricter controls on its finances, including hiring an independent vendor to handle the borough’s payroll.
Borough officials were first alerted to the situation when Carmichaels police Officer Mike Gyurke attempted to cash his paycheck, but the bank had frozen the borough’s account. He later contacted Wydo-Streit, who told him she would handle it, but then said, “(I’m) going to be honest with you, I stole the money,” according to court documents.
A forensic audit by Cypher & Cypher revealed the missing funds, which showed Wydo-Streit stole $64,705 from payroll and another $10,260 from the general fund, according to court documents. Municipal officials said last July they did not have enough money in the budget to pave the borough’s streets the past two years due to the theft.