Sarver VFC treasurer faces felony charges after $150K is stolen from fire company

Editor’s note: This story was update Saturday, Jan. 7 to include a statement from the fire company.

State police accused the treasurer of the Sarver Volunteer Fire Company in Buffalo Township of stealing nearly $150,000 over a seven-year period by making unauthorized cash withdrawals from ATMs.

William Richard George, 66, of the 900 block of Grantham Street in Tarentum was charged with felony counts of theft and access device fraud.

George was released from custody on a $50,000 unsecured bond during his arraignment Wednesday before District Judge Sue Haggerty, according to court records. A date for his preliminary hearing on the charges has not been set.

A state trooper wrote in a criminal complaint that an investigation was launched Oct. 6 after fire department officials reported unauthorized withdrawals from its bank account.

George has been the fire company’s treasurer for about 10 years and is responsible for overseeing all finances, police said.

Fire department officials told police there only was one card associated with its bank account, and it was kept by George, the complaint said. Fire officials told investigators that no cash should be used from that account.

The fire company provided police with copies of its bank statements, which showed numerous cash withdrawals from ATMs between Tarentum and Kittanning, the complaint said.

State police secured a search warrant for the fire company’s account records dating to 2013, along with access to video surveillance from the PNC bank in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison, according to the complaint.

In addition to the cash withdrawals, records show money from the account was used to pay a $4,977 tax bill on property owned by George along with a $124 payment for a fee associated with his property, the complaint said.

The fire company released a statement through an attorney, Brian D. Farrington of Charlton Law:

“A member of the Fire Company recently discovered information indicating a strong possibility of misappropriation of funds. The member immediately contacted the proper authorities to investigate the matter and provided all available information. The Fire Company will continue to offer any necessary assistance in the State Police’s investigation of this matter.

“The Fire Company would like to ensure the public that it has taken steps to secure its finances and has implemented more stringent financial controls. (It) is a close-knit organization and extends trust to its officers as brothers and sisters. This incident has brought the department together in the desire to continue its primary mission of serving the community, and it is committed to continuing to do so with a higher level of control over its finances.”

George is being represented by Pittsburgh-based lawyer Phil Dilucente.

“I can tell you that he’s a good community man,” Dilucente told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. “He’s served the fire company for quite some time. I know he’s always been a person of the community, and we’re really hopeful that somehow, some way we can work this matter out.”