And the casinos keep the stolen funds.
Woman pleads guilty in $1.2 million scam of Bethlehem philanthropist 'Linny' Fowler
Shawnta Carmon of Allentown faces up to 19 years in prison for taking Bethlehem philanthropist's money under false pretenses.
Shawnta Carmon has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1 million from the late philanthropist Linny Fowler. (HARRY FISHER, THE MORNING CALL/FILE PHOTO / August 12, 2013)
A woman charged with scamming the late philanthropist Marlene "Linny" Fowler of Bethlehem admitted Monday she stole $1.2 million for casinos and underground gaming houses.
Shawnta Carmon, 32, of Allentown faces up to 19 years in prison for her role in getting the money from Fowler under false pretenses.
Carmon's attorney, Brian Monahan, said that his client had a genuine fondness for the 73-year-old UPS heiress, who died of natural causes three weeks before the conspiracy and theft charges were announced against Carmon and her husband.
"She really was friends with Linny Fowler, but there was a betrayal … largely due to the gambling addiction," Monahan said.
Shawnta Carmon, 32, of Allentown faces up to 19 years in prison for her role in getting the money from Fowler under false pretenses.
Carmon's attorney, Brian Monahan, said that his client had a genuine fondness for the 73-year-old UPS heiress, who died of natural causes three weeks before the conspiracy and theft charges were announced against Carmon and her husband.
"She really was friends with Linny Fowler, but there was a betrayal … largely due to the gambling addiction," Monahan said.
Prosecutors say Carmon stole the money under the guise she needed it for dental work, a college education for her niece and medical treatment for a minor child at Philadelphia Children's Hospital between 2008 and 2012.
Northampton County Assistant District Attorney James Augustine called that all lies.
Instead, Augustine said, the money was spent on expensive clothes, jewelry, limousine rides and gambling in Bethlehem, the Poconos, Atlantic City, Las Vegas and private homes.
The deception began to unravel in 2012 when the Fowlers requested receipts from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Carmon falsified an invoice. Upon further examination, they learned the money was never spent in the hospital.
A grand jury later issued a presentment that led to criminal charges being filed against Carmon and her husband, Hassan Carmon. Hassan Carmon, 34, is charged with theft and conspiracy.
Shawnta Carmon, 32, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 22 before Judge Emil Giordano on charges of theft by deception, conspiracy and an unrelated bad checks charge.
Augustine has called Shawnta Carmon the lead perpetrator of the scheme. Hassan Carmon's lawyer, Steven Mills, said in August that his client is accused of taking far less money than his wife, from whom he is separated. But Hassan Carmon has a lengthier criminal record, which poses additional problems for him at sentencing.
Fowler, who inherited a fortune built from UPS, spread her vast wealth to causes throughout the area, with her name gracing the ArtsQuest building and Northampton Community College's south campus in Bethlehem, among others.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-bethlehem-linny-fowler-philanthropist-theft-ple-20130930,0,7404012.story#ixzz2ghqEyrxS
Follow us: @mcall on Twitter | mcall.lv on Facebook
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment