Plea deal in the works for Excela Health program coordinator accused in thefts of scholarship funds

Attorneys told a Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday that a plea bargain is expected to be finalized this year for a New Stanton woman accused in the theft of money from Excela Health Latrobe’s medical residency program and a scholarship fund.

Suzanne Strickler, 39, was charged in September 2020 with multiple counts of theft and forgery after police said she diverted as much as $75,000 in program funds and donations for her personal use.

In court on Tuesday, defense attorney Michael Worgel told a judge that Strickler was prepared to plead guilty when a final accounting of the missing funds is completed.

“The general framework of a plea deal has been worked out. We believe the final restitution is about $20,000, but we need to get that figured out,” Worgel said.

According to court records, police said Strickler, who worked as coordinator of Excela Latrobe Hospital’s student programs, forged thousands of dollars in checks and took monetary donations earmarked for scholarships as part of the family residency program at the hospital and the annual resident graduation dinners for the Andrew Bagby Memorial Scholarship Fund.

At the time of Strickler’s arrest, investigators said she diverted checks for Bagby scholarships intended for students who had completed four-week rotations in the hospital’s medical residency program for her own use, forged her own name and deposited the checks into her personal account.

Other checks were altered to reflect larger amounts, police said.

Detectives said Strickler admitted to taking the money, told investigators she was “having a rough time with finances” and offered to repay the cash.

Assistant District Attorney Amanda Rubin said authorities now believe the amount Strickler stole was less than police first estimated. A final accounting is still pending. The plea deal will involve restitution payments for the stolen funds, she said.

“Restitution is a very important part of the case,” Rubin said.

Four felony counts of theft and three forgery offenses are pending against Strickler.

Details about the potential plea bargain were not disclosed.

The Bagby scholarship fund was set up after the Nov. 5, 2001, murder of Dr. Andrew Bagby, 28, a medical resident at the hospital who was shot and killed by Dr. Shirley Turner. Turner, an obsessed former girlfriend, lured him to Keystone State Park in Derry Township, where he was shot.

The scholarship was established by Bagby’s parents, David and Kate Bagby of Sunnyvale, Calif.