Woman accused of stealing $95K from Conference of Churches clients

April 24--An Allentown woman has been charged with theft after police say she stole $95,000 in Social Security payments from dozens of the area's poorest residents.

Sheri Denise Lopez, 43, of the 2000 block of Tilghman Street was working for the Lehigh County Conference of Churches when she allegedly wrote and cashed more than 150 checks drawing on funds intended for clients of the conference's Homelessness Prevention Program.

The program acts as a representative payee for people who receive benefits through the Social Security Administration. The conference manages individual accounts for 40 to 70 people, putting their benefits into a conference account and then cutting checks to pay for housing, utility, medical and other expenses for each client. The program is designed to teach money management skills and budgeting.

According to court documents, Lopez was managing those accounts between March 2012 and December when $77,125 in unauthorized checks, each written as "pay to the order of Sheri Lopez," were written and cashed. An additional $4,367 was incurred as a result of those transactions in bank fees, the court records say.

Jack Felch, executive director of the conference, said Lopez's employment was terminated in January. She had worked for the conference since 1997.

Felch said the investigation into the theft is ongoing, and the conference expects that the total amount of money stolen to increase as older transactions are analyzed.

According to court documents, Lopez admitted writing the checks without authorization and cashing them during a February interview with Allentown police. Documents do not detail how Lopez spent the money she allegedly stole.

Lopez was charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property in February. Court documents show she posted $50,000 bail that month and was released. A message left for her Wednesday was not returned.

A message left with Lopez's attorney in the Lehigh County public defenders office was not immediately returned.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christie Bonesch said she could not comment on the case.

A review of the theft showed that there were no "adverse events," such as evictions, for clients as a result, Felch said, but the conference has pledged to return all of the money that can be found. Officials are "fairly confident" that their insurance plan will cover the lost money, he said.

Felch said the conference has explained the situation to conference members, but not all of the clients of the Homelessness Prevention Program are aware of the situation, he said. The conference has tried to be sensitive, he said.

"These are folks that have had enough challenges in their lives from a victimization point of view," Felch said. "We don't want to make it worse by them feeling victimized. This is a conference issue, and the conference it dealing with it."

Felch said Social Security officials have been notified of the theft and are working with the conference on the investigation. The funds used in the Homelessness Prevention Program are strictly federal, and are separate from the philanthropic and other government funds that the conference receives, he said.

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Twitter @emilyopilo

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