He’s not exactly public enemy no.1 but as they say crime doesn’t pay…..
Philly Burbs.com reports
Ex-Montco law library director arrested for theft
Bruce Piscadlo, 61, of Howell in Monmouth County, N.J., has been charged with theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy and related charges.
Authorities have accused the former director of Montgomery County’s law library of using almost $1,800 in library funds to buy himself coffee, a camera and electronics.
Bruce Piscadlo, 61, of Howell, N.J., has been charged with theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy and related charges.
Piscadlo, the library’s former director before he abruptly retired Dec. 31, was released on $20,000 unsecured bail following his arraignment before District Judge Margaret Hunsicker. His preliminary hearing is Aug. 30.
The alleged personal purchases ranged from Green Mountain Breakfast Blend Coffee and Café Escapes Milk Hot Chocolate to a Sony H70 camera and a computer and a printer, according to court documents.
The “smoking gun” in the case came earlier this month when detectives, armed with a search warrant, seized an HP Touchscreen All-In-One computer, an HP Office Jet printer and a Monster brand Digital Power Center from Piscadlo’s home, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.
“Those items, using library funds — taxpayer dollars — were purchased during his employment and were kept for his own personal use at his home after his retirement,” said Ferman.
Piscadlo, hired as an assistant librarian at the law library, was promoted to director on June 27, 2008. He was earning $64,648 a year when he retired.
Piscadlo also is charged with using library funds and accounts for the personal use of staff members.
One of those staff members was the library’s former bookkeeper, Barbara Melnyk.
In June, Melnyk was charged with using the library’s Amazon account, at Piscadlo’s direction, to purchase 35 college textbooks, having a combined value of $2,598, for her daughter. These purchases allegedly occurred from 2010 through 2012.
Melnyk, 55, of the 2900 block of Penn Square Road, East Norriton, is free on $10,000 unsecured bail. Her case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference Sept. 18 in Montgomery County Court.
The criminal complaint in Piscadlo’s case refers to several computers and other electronic items purchased with library funds.
When investigators asked Melnyk if she was concerned these purchases were unethical or illegal, the complaint states Melnyk responded: “No. Bruce told me to do this. He said he couldn’t give raises so he would give us stuff. He knew I needed money but he couldn’t get that for me.”
Piscadlo is no modern day Robin Hood, stealing from big government to help out his employees, Ferman said.
“In times like this when everyone feels they are strapped financially, many people face significant financial difficulties,” said Ferman.
“You don’t get to decide what your pay should be or your employees’ pay should be and then just take it. For a county employee to decide on his own what his salary should be or his employees’ salaries should be and then use taxpayer money for purchases to balance that, it is nothing more than theft.”
The investigation is ongoing but if staff members returned equipment they received, it is unlikely they will face criminal charges, she added.
The alleged thefts were uncovered in an audit by the county controller’s office.
The county law library was a hybrid operation, with the county paying those employees and providing for most operational costs. The library was overseen by an independent committee whose members were appointed by the county court.
As a part of its government restructuring, the county this year moved the library to the direct jurisdiction of the county courts.
As a routine precaution in taking over a new department, the court administrator’s office asked Controller Stewart J. Greenleaf Jr. to audit the library’s expenses and revenue in 2012.
“Unfortunately, the law library committee relied too heavily on the law library staff and the substandard reports issued by the external auditors it hired,” said Greenleaf.
Once auditors identified alleged misuse of funds in 2012, they went back two more years and found similar problems, according to Greenleaf.
The results of those findings were turned over to the district attorney.
The controller’s office detailed oversight practices and procedures for the library that already have been implemented by the court administrator’s office.
