ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Union City, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of mail fraud, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
Cheryl R. Capela, 60, Union City, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to four counts before United States District Judge David S. Cercone.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from July 2013 through July 2016, while employed as the Borough Secretary for the Borough of Union City, Capela took advantage of her access to the Borough’s checks to write Borough checks to pay her ballooning personal credit card bills. She also used the Borough credit card for numerous personal expenses.
Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2017. The law provides for a total sentence of 80 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Capela.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
