Former Washington County clerk of courts pleads guilty to stealing $100K from coffers

A former Washington County clerk of courts has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $100,00 from taxpayers.

Frank Scandale was accused of regularly accepting cash payments for court services, issuing a receipt, and then pocketing the money instead of depositing it in the bank, according to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose office prosecuted the case.

Audits revealed that 24 deposits totaling more than $96,700 that should have gone into the county’s coffers were stolen by Scandale, 52, of Canonsburg.

“Mr. Scandale broke the law and the oath he took on behalf of the people of Washington County when he stole nearly $100,000 from the public,” Shapiro said in a news release. “As a public official, Mr. Scandale had a duty to serve with integrity, and instead he admitted in court to violating the public’s trust.”

Scandale is expected to be sentenced to two years of home electronic monitoring and seven years of probation. He was ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution to the county.

Last year, Scandale lost a bid for a second, four-year term as the county’s clerk of courts to Brenda Davis.