Monroeville woman charged with stealing money from 2 Gateway organizations
The former president of two family-teacher organizations in the Gateway School District has been charged with stealing nearly $11,000 from fundraisers and debit card purchases made for her personal use.
Jennifer Murawski, 38, of Monroeville was president of the FTO at Mosside Middle School from 2017 to 2019 and the FTO at Evergreen Elementary School from 2015 to 2018, according to a criminal complaint filed in support of the charges.
Monroeville police charged Murawski on Aug. 26 with one count each of theft by unlawful taking and misappropriation of funds.
When confronted about the missing money by authorities, Murawski told investigators that she and her husband accidentally used the FTO’s debit card for purchases because the card was kept in the same location as their own card, which was issued by the same bank.
Investigators say the FTO card was used to make PayPal payments and for purchases at Giant Eagle, Sam’s Club, Best Buy, Kennywood and other retailers.
Murawski also is accused of taking the profits from several book sales instead of depositing the money in FTO bank accounts.
Authorities say more than $10,900 in FTO funds were unaccounted for even after Murawski repaid some of the missing money.
Mary Beth Cirucci, president of the Gateway School District board, declined to comment.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.