Ex-Delco constable facing theft charges

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan announced in a press release that a former Delaware County constable is facing felony charges for submitting false payment sheets for services that were never performed, for more than 600 Delaware County cases totaling $22,996.70.

Peter A. Innaurato
Peter A. Innaurato

Peter A. Innaurato, 60, of the 500 block of Achille Road in Havertown, is charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition, receiving stolen property, forgery, and theft by deception, all felonies of the third degree and other related offenses, including tampering with public records, the release said.

The arrest comes at the conclusion of an investigation conducted by the affiant, Det. John A. Hoffner of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Economic Crime Unit.

An investigation was launched after the Administrative Office of the Magisterial District Judges filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Division regarding Innaurato, a Delaware County constable. Through a random spot check conducted by the Administrator Office, it was discovered that many of Innaurato’s submitted payment sheets were either missing paperwork or were not authorized for payment by Delaware County.

As a constable, Innaurato’s duties included serving criminal warrants, as well as summary warrants for traffic and non-traffic violations. In return for serving warrants, Innaurato would receive payment once a defendant entered a plea of not guilty. Once a constable successfully serves a warrant, it must be submitted with a payment sheet to the clerk of the district court that issued the warrant, which then gets processed and submitted to the Magistrate for approval and signature.

Once approved, the constable submits the signed payment sheet to the Delaware County Park Police Constable’s Office for payment by Delaware County. Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered that out of the 886 payment sheets for cases submitted from September 2014 through May 2015, a total of 642 payment requests were cases falsely created by Innaurato, who forged signatures of magisterial district judges so he could receive payment from the county.

“Mr. Innaurato knowingly and fraudulently stole from the taxpayers of Delaware County, who he was appointed to serve, taking advantage of his position of authority,” Whelan said in the release. “I want to commend Det. John A. Hoffner for his exemplary work on this complicated case along with CID Det. Larry Patterson and Det. David Tyler, who assisted with the investigation.”

Innaurato surrendered Wednesday morning, Nov. 25, at the Criminal Investigation Unit. Following arraignment, he was released on $25,000 unsecured bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 7. Assistant District Attorney Brian Doherty, lead prosecutor for the Economic Crime Unit, will handle the case, the release said.

 

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