Pennsylvania couple stole to feed addiction

New Cumberland couple stole from employer to feed gambling addiction, police say
SARA GANIM, The Patriot-News

A couple who told police they lost everything — their house and three cars — to a gambling addiction stole more than $66,000 from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to pay their bills, keep food on the table and keep gambling, police said.

The Patriot-News/fileStacie and David Carmines, who live on the 1600 block of Elm St., are accused of writing fraudulent business checks, using company gift cards and running up a rental car tab, all under the association’s name.

Stacie Carmines had worked for the association for 10 years, police said, and told officers she began stealing money in 2010 to feed a gambling addiction that drained the family's finances.

Stacie Carmines created a false billing account under her husband’s name and generated $62,800 in business checks between August and November, then cashed them and kept the money, police said.

She told police she was creating checks for thousands of dollars on a regular basis, police said.

An attorney for the association, Michael Levin, discovered the missing money and called police two days before Thanksgiving to report the couple.

A forensic team analyzed the books, and found the pair probably stole more than $66,000. When confronted, the Carmines admitted to stealing money, but told police they hadn’t kept track of how much was taken, court papers say.

Stacie Carmines told police the figure the forensic team came up with seemed accurate, police said.

Stacie Carmines, 41 , is charged with theft by deception and unlawful use of a computer, and her husband, 39, faces a conspiracy charge. They are out on bail.

Both were charged in January, and waived their right to a preliminary hearing earlier this month.